Meanwhile, Li Chang’an pushed his Heaven-defying Comprehension to its absolute limit.
The younger generation under his command handled the practical implementation, while he was responsible for steering the overall direction.
The other research institute, the one for technology, encountered many difficulties in its early days.
First, the world’s general level of education was insufficient for technological development. Second, there was a complete lack of talent in the relevant fields.
With no other choice, Li Chang’an had to personally act as a lecturer. He taught the scholars in the academies all the scientific and technological knowledge he had acquired in the Cyber World.
To firmly establish the twin pillars of technology and the Martial Dao, Li Chang’an had Su Ying rewrite the laws of the Liyang Dynasty. She codified compulsory education into law and, at the same time, launched a campaign to popularize the concept of science to the masses.
The path was arduous at first.
For more than thirty years, aside from his own Cultivation, Li Chang’an poured nearly all his energy into the cause of education.
Over thirty years later, Li Chang’an’s immense efforts finally paid off.
The more than three hundred Direct Disciples he had nurtured all graduated.
Some disciples chose to remain as teachers, becoming scattered sparks that taught more students to master technology. The majority, however, joined the technology research institutes, beginning to work on the research and development of various sciences.
At Li Chang’an’s direction, the technology research institutes’ first project was to improve grain seeds.
This directly increased the grain yield tenfold.
The surge in grain production dramatically improved the standard of living for the common people. Once the populace was well-fed, the Liyang Dynasty’s population experienced explosive growth.
With a larger population came faster development.
More common people began sending their children to study literature and practice martial arts.
From then on, the Liyang Dynasty entered a period of explosive development.
...
When he was five hundred years old, the Liyang Dynasty conducted a population census.
According to the survey results, the Liyang Dynasty, which originally had a population of less than twenty million, now had a population approaching the ten billion mark.
Skyscrapers rose one after another from the ground.
All manner of vehicles filled the streets.
Li Chang’an remained youthful. At his direction, the technology research department and the Martial Dao research department had been fully integrated.
The fusion of technology and the Martial Dao quickly ignited many new sparks of innovation.
Even Li Chang’an benefited greatly from this.
...
On his one-thousandth birthday, Li Chang’an renamed the Liyang Dynasty the Liyang Empire. On the day of the Empire’s founding, researchers detonated several nuclear bombs in his honor, celebrating both his longevity and the birth of the Liyang Empire.
The founding of the Empire turned a new page in the history books.
This marked the beginning of Year One of the Emperor Calendar.
In Year One of the Emperor Calendar, Li Chang’an ascended the throne as the first Great Emperor of the Liyang Empire.
Li Hongying was the Crown Prince—a Crown Prince over nine hundred years old.
...
Time seemed to pass ever more quickly. By the 500th year of the Emperor Calendar, Li Chang’an was fifteen hundred years old.
He remained young, each strand of his hair shimmering and crystalline, his face showing almost no trace of the ages.
Ran Qingqiu, however, discovered a single white hair on her head.
Her Cultivation was the lowest. Her talent couldn’t compare to Leng Yanran’s, and wasn’t even on par with Su Ying’s. Thus, washed by the long river of time, she was the first to show signs of aging.
Looking at the others who were still young.
Ran Qingqiu gave a bitter smile, but ultimately said nothing.
Leng Yanran and Su Ying could both sense her sorrow and dejection, but they didn’t know what to say to comfort her. They could only sigh to themselves.
Li Chang’an also remained silent.
Before long, however, he issued an order: the research institutes were to accelerate their research on Spiritual Power and do everything possible to analyze how Cultivators could absorb it to achieve immortality.
...
「In the 998th year of the Emperor Calendar.」
The World-Devouring Whale sensed a disturbance in the Cultivation Realm. It immediately stopped gnawing at the boundary between worlds and traveled through the Void back to the Lower Realm, intending to warn Li Chang’an to prepare.
But as it emerged from the Void, it stared at a world of skyscrapers and shimmering neon lights. A look of bewilderment unconsciously filled its small, pea-like eyes.
It wanted to go find Li Chang’an.
But Li Chang’an found it first. "The Immortal Sect is opening again?" he asked.
The World-Devouring Whale nodded, looked down at the moving vehicles on the ground, and after a long while couldn’t help but exclaim, "What have you done?"
Li Chang’an smiled. "As you can see!"
The World-Devouring Whale circled in mid-air, speechless for a moment, then suddenly headed northwest.
Li Chang’an said nothing, simply following it northwest.
The man and the beast moved with incredible speed.
Their passage attracted the attention of several groups of Martial Artists. But when they saw it was Li Chang’an flying "without a license," all of them bowed respectfully and cleared a path.
The World-Devouring Whale arrived at its old lair.
This was the area where the Desolate Mountain Tomb was located.
Staring at the buildings that now stood taller than the mountains themselves, the World-Devouring Whale’s tone was incredibly conflicted. "This is my home. How did it end up like this? You built all these towers next to it... Don’t tell me you wanted to spy on me?"
Li Chang’an looked down. The ridges of the desolate mountain had not disappeared.
He had mentioned offhand that they should be preserved.
But several skyscrapers had been erected right alongside the ridges, and airships were now constantly taking off and landing from them.
Li Chang’an laughed awkwardly. "Isn’t it nice to have a few more neighbors?"
The World-Devouring Whale fell silent, clearly displeased.
But this wasn’t the time to talk about such things. It looked eagerly at Li Chang’an and said, "The Cultivators are coming soon. I didn’t dare to linger near the boundary. Are you prepared? This time, the Immortal Palace will at least dispatch the Law Enforcement Team to investigate. The Elder leading the Law Enforcement Team will be a Golden Core Stage Cultivator at the very least!"
Li Chang’an smiled. "Of course I’m prepared. Or rather, for this day, the entire Li Yang has been preparing for two thousand years!"
The World-Devouring Whale glanced at the surrounding skyscrapers.
It found the sight quite novel, and its tone was tinged with awe. "You humans’ creativity is truly terrifying. It’s only been two thousand years... To my kind, a mythical species, that’s barely the blink of an eye. But when I came back, I thought I’d gotten lost in the Void. This isn’t the Liyang Dynasty I remember!"
...