"It's been almost thirty years since I last came down the mountain. Has the technology of the Security Bureau really made such progress now?"
Walking with Lord Lü towards the Qinling Panda Ecological Protection Base, Lu Tiannan couldn't help but show a touch of amazement upon seeing the logistics support team that had implemented the road closure.
The support team worked in groups of three, fully armed, carrying spider robots to patrol the mountain path, enforce closures, and check the identities of passing cultivators.
Compared to those sci-fi equipped warriors, the Taoists in the Dao Alliance organization seemed somewhat inferior.
Any normal person could tell at a glance that the Taoists would be unlikely to withstand a machine-gun sweep from the spider robots.
In Lu Tiannan's memory, when he came down the mountain to meet that group of old friends, they were all dressed in coarse linen robes, wearing badge hats on their heads, often shrugging to show their pockets were empty without funding.
No money for sure, but life, that's definitely not something they'd give you.
Where did the money go? Of course, it went to creating big gadgets.
Anyway, today the cafeteria only provided sweet potato porridge with wild vegetables mixed in lard. Whether you eat it or not, you'd have to, or they'd stuff it into your stomach from your backside to keep you from fainting with hunger during training and chewing on your teammates' leather belts.
In Lu Tiannan's memories, thirty years ago, the Security Bureau always existed as a penniless entity.
They were practically researching whether the sweat from their comrades could be dried and used as salt to develop a perpetual motion machine.
And now, thirty years later, the equipment the Security Bureau soldiers wore looked impressive at first glance, and the large robot was quite powerful.
"Those penniless old buddies, now I guess there's only the word 'broke' written on their foreheads, right?"
Lu Tiannan walked along the road, sighing with a sense of time-space distortion, as if in a different world.
"Just ants."
Upon hearing this, the Right Hand on his right side showed a look of disdain, sweeping his gaze over the passing Security Bureau members: "One palm, and the progress you speak of will become nothing but a wreck."
"What's with you, Right Hand? Do you have some haughty, venomous tongue of a deep-seated resentful woman character about you?"
Lu Tiannan seemed to be in a good mood and didn't use any disgusting methods to harass his Right Hand but spoke with a faint smile:
"Whenever I praise others, you're always the first to refute it. What's the matter? Are you jealous because I'm caring for others and ignoring your feelings?"
"......" The Right Hand's eye twitched, taking a deep breath before choosing to close his mouth.
Years of belittlement and denial, even with the steadiest mind, living in such a negative emotional environment can unknowingly breed self-doubt in one's abilities.
But the Right Hand rarely managed to out-talk Lu Tiannan.
In terms of personal attacks and being subservient, in a sense, Lu Tiannan was stronger.
"Hmm? Interesting..."
Feeling a powerful life energy fluctuation, the Right Hand, despite being upset by the criticism from his main self, remained silent and directed his gaze toward the direction of Xinxing Agricultural Science College: "Is that the so-called Fox Immortal you people are talking about? It's nothing special..."
"...... Master Uncle, the Fox Immortal has been preparing his speech inside the ecological base since this afternoon," Lord Lü wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling as though his master had become a live wire, ready to explode at any moment.
"The old master just sent a message saying our meeting is arranged after the ritual gathering."
"The mountaintop?" The Right Hand glanced at the mountain's peak, showing an expression of disdain: "Purely a gathering of ants, the kind I could drown in a puddle..."
"......" Lord Lü's forehead was drenched with cold sweat, a look of wanting to speak but hesitating, reaching out, seemingly wishing to advise his master to watch out for his uncle's loose tongue.
The Fox Immortal, no—in fact, it should be said the Fox Immortal Patriarch—is a true Immortal, capable of splitting mountains with his bare hands.
If because of the uncle's meddling, a real feud were to arise, it wouldn't be solved by mere money.
"Don't worry.... "
Lu Tiannan waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to worry about the meeting that will follow, as he had ways to handle it.
Lu Tiannan and Lord Lü arrived at the vacant land in front of the ecological protection base.
A stage was already set up here, and fellow cultivators had already arrived early with plush cushions suitable for sitting and engaging in discussions about the Dao, and there were also some dressed in raincoats and gloves serving refreshments to the guests.
"Let's sit at the back! Our old friends seem to have already left; it'll only add trouble sitting upfront....." Lu Tiannan surveyed the plaza, shaking his head, and sat down near the edge of the woodland, speaking to Lord Lü.
"Alright, Master....."
Lord Lü invited his master to sit down, hurried to the nearby tea table, and brought back tea and refreshments.
Time passed slowly.
Anticipated by all cultivators, the steel gate of the ecological base slowly opened, followed by a loud "moo" sound.
The massive Qinling serow stomped heavily on the ground, causing a slight tremor.
Master Fuli sat on the serow, and behind him followed a group of silvery-white metal, with two things impossible for humans perched on its head.
A gigantic hammer and a large scythe.
The serow carried Master Fuli to the stage, allowing him to step onto the podium.
"Good evening, fellow cultivators, welcome to the lecture I have prepared..."
Master Fuli arrived at the podium, stood tall, and scanned the audience, which comprised hundreds of old and young cultivators and Lord Lü and his disciple at the periphery, and then discreetly glanced at Wang Qiqi on the ecological base wall.
Wang Qiqi gave a big thumbs up, indicating that Master Fuli should just go along with his flow. After all, the Security Bureau's overall intention was cooperation, not conflict.
"Cultivators..."
"I haven't managed to get ice cola, nor KFC or McDonald's, but I got these items."
Master Fuli raised the Gravity Tenderizing Hammer and the Cosmic Triangular Hammer in the guise of a giant scythe, looking seriously at the cultivators, he exclaimed:
"Tonight, although I'm here to preach, before starting the sermon, what I want to say and the message conveyed lies within the weapons I hold in my hands. You should have all read books, and college students should have political awareness."
"......"
The expression on the faces of cultivators, both young and old, seeing Master Fuli cross and raise the scythe and hammer, was one of utter stupor.
Momentarily, everyone present was dumbfounded, completely unable to believe their eyes.
At the peak of metaphysics, the end of dao methods, the source of all magic, the Fox Immortal Ancestor was actually holding that banner high.
Wasn't this overly materialistic?
"Cultivators pursue cultivation and character, strive for the true celestial state, break through limits, and seek the path of immortality..."
"But what I want to say is, now differs from past times—we are now in an era called 'Spiritual Energy Recovery.'"
"And my existence is the strongest evidence that a new era is about to arrive!"
"It belongs to us cultivators but also to the demons hovering around Blue Star, watching the human world! Over Blue Star, foreign celestial demons are entrenched!"
"I summon you, fellow cultivators, to unite and join me in fighting these evil forces!"
Master Fuli spoke loudly, explaining the Security Bureau's intentions in simple terms for the cultivators to understand.