Chapter 27: The Arrangement of the New Secret Manual

Room. Bed. Liu Yinyun sat cross-legged, cupping a spirit stone in her hands, with the newly revised "Qi Refining Manual" by her side. At this moment, she was wholly focused, attempting a new method of cultivation...

The surface of the spirit stone slowly darkened to gray-black, flaking off to reveal a fresh layer, then darkened again, shedding once more, repeating the cycle...

She could keenly sense the spiritual energy from the stone in her hands, as well as the faint energies in the surrounding air, flowing ceaselessly into her body, being refined and transformed into mana, which was then stored in her lower abdomen, the place known as the dantian. The new version of the "Qi Refining Manual" was much easier to understand, and the obvious changes in her body filled her heart with a subtle delight...

She needed to report this new version of the "Qi Refining Manual" to her superiors...

Taking out her communicator, she pressed a few buttons, hesitated, then sent a message to Chen Chushi, asking if she could upload the new manual to the Xia Country spaceship headquarters.

With a chime from the device, Chen Chushi replied: "You may."

Originally, Chen Chushi had no mobile phone on Earth; only after the return-to-Earth team arrived did he keep one nearby for convenience.

Receiving his approval, Liu Yinyun relaxed a little.

Though she and her teammates had come with a mission, she couldn’t simply seize Chen Chushi’s things by force—such actions would only breed his resentment.

In ancient tales of gods and spirits, as well as modern cultivation novels, there is often mention of the "heart demon."

The moment an ordinary person steps onto the cultivation path, they become a cultivator! The road to immortality is long and fraught with dangers and hardships, and it is all too common to encounter traumas: a beloved companion disgraced, a family slaughtered, a sect destroyed, treasures stolen, or perhaps a deeply held belief being ruthlessly challenged...

All these can become heart demons, lurking deep within. When a cultivator faces a tribulation, these demons manifest as illusions, disturbing the heart and impeding breakthroughs, causing practitioners to lose themselves, succumb to madness, and either die or become mindless engines of slaughter...

If external factors caused Chen Chushi to develop heart demons, there would be little to be done.

But Liu Yinyun would never allow her actions or those of her companions to burden Chen Chushi’s mind, hindering his cultivation.

Xia Country Spaceship.

Earth Orphan Research Department.

Li Yuanzhe was watching the live broadcast of Chen Chushi’s situation when he suddenly received a message from Liu Yinyun. Upon reading it, his pupils contracted and a trace of surprise lit his face. He had known Chen Chushi had given something new to Liu Yinyun and the others, but hadn’t expected it to be a manual! Even more astonishing, it was a universal cultivation method, available in two versions, and Chen Chushi did not object to the manual being sent to the spaceship—a most unexpected boon.

With over a billion people in Xia Country, employment aside, just the consumption of resources for daily life is enough to constantly create new problems, causing the higher-ups and elders to frequently furrow their brows in search of solutions.

The elders cared deeply about Chen Chushi’s situation, but they could not focus on him alone all the time.

Thus, all matters concerning Chen Chushi on Earth were handed to the Earth Orphan Research Department, including regular communications with the return-to-Earth team...

Li Yuanzhe, with his clean background and outstanding abilities, was a reliable talent, and so he earned their trust.

He forwarded Liu Yinyun’s message to the Elder Council. Since the elders, with their aged bodies, couldn’t always rush to the conference room, they began discussing it over the local area network meeting room.

Elder Four: “So the Earth orphan’s name is Chen Chushi—quite a name.”

Elder Six: “Let’s call him by his name from now on; ‘orphan’ sounds odd. Now, regarding the new version of the ‘Qi Refining Manual’ that Li Yuanzhe just sent over—what are your thoughts? Should we distribute it directly to the populace, or do we have another plan?”

Elder Four: “Liu Yinyun’s message has made things clear enough.

I agree with her opinion: in the early stages, we must not let the masses cultivate the manual. Even if only one percent succeed, among a population of over a billion, that could lead to disaster. Just look at how many foreign malicious actors have infiltrated our networks to spread rumors these past few days, and how many of our people have already believed them…”

Elder Six: “But Chen Chushi gave the manual to the return team, and many people saw this in the live broadcast. If we hide it and keep it secret, we’ll soon face public pressure…”

Elder Eight: “Monitoring is truly troublesome. Our country’s surveillance on Earth is among the world’s best.”

Elder Nine: “There’s no choice. For sensitive matters, we can only avoid surveillance. Right now, simply muting audio has already united several international powers against us! If we block the video feed as well, the consequences… would be a tidal wave sweeping the nation!”

Elder Six: “That’s true, but we do have advantages others lack.”

Elder Six: “First, Chen Chushi is one of our own! He’s easy-going, kind, and harbors no resentment toward the country! Moreover, our Earth team made contact with him ahead of other nations, and, well… besides winning his favor, we also acquired his manuals and spells first, and got the latest versions…”

Elder Four: “Listen to yourself; it sounds as if we’re scheming against Chen Chushi…”

Elder Six: “Old man! Of course we’re scheming—why sugarcoat it? These things are not hidden from Chen Chushi. Yes, we play the emotional card openly, but everything we say is true! Whether humanity survives or perishes, he is Xia Country’s greatest hero!”

Elder Four: “Alright, alright, you’re giving me a headache. Let’s get back to the new manual! We can’t just hand it to the public, and the foreigners will demand it too—we’ll be in a tight spot…”

Elder Six: “My preliminary plan is to let the military cultivate the manual first, then the public. Of course, the manual for the public should be divided into nine parts: release the first part, and gradually release the rest in intervals based on response. You know what I mean.”

Elder Four: “Sounds reasonable. Let the think tank analyze it further and refine the details.”

Earth.

Seven days.

Gone in a flash.

Chen Chushi stood amidst a small grove, holding a booklet in his left hand and a pen in his right.

The new series of basic spells, “Wood Arts,” was nearly complete after days of simultaneous cultivation and writing—only the final period remained.

Mana twisted in his palm, vibrating at a unique frequency. He pointed through the air, and a burst shot forth! Though mana itself was colorless, used with “Wood Arts” it emerged as green light.

The green light pierced a withered-looking banyan stump.

A creaking sound echoed as the little banyan seemed to awaken like a living creature. Its roots swung from side to side, then plunged fiercely into the earth, desperately seeking water and greedily absorbing it. The stump’s sounds grew louder, branches swaying and snapping as twigs sprouted, giving birth to buds and leaves. Half an hour passed…

The once dying banyan had become a magnificent tree, so large that even two adults could not encircle its trunk with their arms.