Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 334 Discussion
Upon hearing the name "Nine-Star Dragon Ball," Gao Wu was taken aback; the name sounded somewhat familiar.

But he quickly realized that these were memories from his past life. It was just that there was some overlap in this particular point, which made him feel somewhat dazed.

Song Xuetao noticed Gao Wu's unusual behavior and asked inquiringly, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just feel there are too many dragons related to other worlds," Gao Wu said with a smile.

"That's normal. We're used to referring to powerful, strange creatures like lizards, snakes, and crocodiles as dragons."

Song Xuetao understood Gao Wu's confusion. Although Gao Wu was strong, he was too young and didn't know much about the other world.

Generally speaking, people assume that beasts of level seven or above should be labeled with the character "dragon," mainly to indicate their danger and power.

He patiently explained to Gao Wu, "The Nine-Star Dragon Pearl is just a general term because we don't know its exact name."

"Dragon describes its power, pearl describes its shape, and nine stars describe its characteristics."

"To be more precise, the Nine-Star Dragon Ball is actually a walnut-shaped, crimson bead containing a complex and powerful source energy structure, which can be seen as a super-powerful source energy furnace."

Song Xuetao said, "Based on my rough understanding of source power, this bead should reach the ninth level."

"This Dragon Ball serves as the energy center to maintain the stability of the altar, and it can also smoothly convert divine power to maintain the environment within a radius of one million kilometers."

Gao Wu and Song Mingyue listened attentively. These secrets should be the Aurora Legion's top secrets, and they weren't even recorded in the Security Headquarters' archives.

Through Song Xuetao's detailed explanation, Gao Wu finally understood the situation of the second secret realm.

The Nine-Star Dragon Balls act as the energy center, converting divine power to maintain the environment of the Second Secret Realm, allowing a portion of the land to produce large quantities of food crops.

Only with such a foundation can the enormous scale of tens of millions of white-haired werewolves be maintained.

White-haired werewolves are not good at production and labor, and they generally live in small tribes, with most tribes having no more than two thousand people.

Only by maintaining such a number can the tribe obtain enough food within its limited range of activity.

The Nine Star Dragon Balls maintained a large population of white-haired wolves, and these white-haired wolves, in turn, formed a stable faith coordinate, allowing the White Crow King's divine power to enter the Second Secret Realm.

Every year, a large number of strange beasts invade the Aurora Icefield, most of which are driven, controlled, and lured in by the white-haired werewolves of the Second Secret Realm.

Even if these werewolves cannot do it, the White Raven King can still use them as spatial coordinates to exert divine power to interfere with the Aurora Icefield.

As the spatial barrier continues to be destroyed, the threat posed by the Second Secret Realm to the Aurora Icefield is growing.

Song Xuefeng had always wanted to destroy the Second Secret Realm, but Shi Potian could also establish faith coordinates with believers in the real world, and at crucial moments he could guide divine power to descend from outside, blocking him in the Second Secret Realm.

He had also discussed this matter with Hai Wuji, who also felt that Shi Potian was the key. If they didn't deal with this guy, it would be too dangerous for them to venture deeper into the secret realm.

Due to various circumstances, this matter has been delayed until now.

Upon hearing that Gao Wu had defeated Shi Potian, Song Xuetao immediately saw this as a good opportunity to deal with the second secret realm.

He said to Gao Wu, "The Nine-Star Dragon Pearl is a very complete source energy center. It can be used for reference in cultivation, or it can be embedded in your battle armor to enhance its power, or it can be embedded in your mechanical warhorse. It has many uses..."

Song Xuetao concluded, "The Nine-Star Dragon Pearl is merely a special and rare object. Although precious, it's not of great use. The key is to destroy the divine altar and this white-haired werewolf tribe."

Gao Wu nodded. A single Nine-Star Dragon Ball was definitely not worth the risk. The key was to destroy the Second Secret Realm, which would greatly alleviate the pressure on the Aurora Legion.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Now that the spatial barrier is gradually collapsing, does destroying the second secret realm still have such important strategic significance?"

"Yes, and its strategic significance is even greater."

If Song Xuetao wants Gao Wu to take action, he must first clearly explain the strategic intent of this battle so that Gao Wu knows what to do and how to do it.

Even though Gao Wu was only nineteen years old and was his great-grandson-in-law, he couldn't fool him.

This is also a basic respect for the strong.

He continued, "Because the spatial barrier is gradually melting, the pressure on the Aurora Icefield is also increasing. Under these circumstances, it is even more important to deal with the second secret realm first."

Song Xuetao's explanation was simple and clear, and Gao Wu understood it immediately.

The situation will worsen in the future, so while we still have the resources, we should eliminate the biggest threat as soon as possible – that makes perfect sense.

"Can we use nuclear weapons?" Gao Wu felt that the tens of millions of white-haired werewolves were too many; if nuclear weapons could be used, it would be simple.

"The divine power within the secret realm is immense. Nuclear weapons cannot be used in the core area, as they would be interfered with by the divine power. There is even a possibility that nuclear weapons could be directly thrown back into the real world. There are many uncontrollable dangers involved."

Song Xuetao shook his head slightly: "The key is still to seize the Nine-Star Dragon Pearl. Without this to stabilize the spatial environment, the White Crow King's power cannot penetrate into the Second Secret Realm. Tens of millions of white-haired werewolves will only face death without enough food. If they want to break out, it's not too late to use nuclear bombs."

Using nuclear weapons would be too disruptive. The most crucial thing in this battle is to seize the Nine Star Dragon Balls and sever the direct connection between the White Crow King and the White Hair followers.

Whether they fight or retreat, the initiative is in their hands.

Song Xuetao's plan was comprehensive, with very simple and direct steps, exactly the type of plan Gao Wu liked best. He hated tedious and meticulous plans, because if one step went wrong, everything would be ruined.

Raiding a secret realm involves too many unpredictable situations. The interconnected nature of each step means there's no room for maneuver to handle unforeseen changes.

Song Xuetao unfolded the map and explained in detail all the steps of the plan, including various measures to deal with unexpected events.

Finally, Song Xuetao invited Gao Wu and Song Mingyue to the underground martial arts training hall for a sparring match. He had great faith in their abilities!
Shi Potian had dominated the Northern Continent for twenty years, and no one could do anything to him. Yet he was killed by Gao Wu and Song Mingyue working together, which shows that the two were incredibly powerful, no less than any seventh-level expert, and perhaps even stronger.

However, Song Xuetao was unaware of their abilities. Neither of them were unaware of his abilities.

In high-intensity combat, both sides need to have a good understanding of each other in order to cooperate better.

Gao Wu naturally had no objections; he was also very curious about this top-tier level seven expert.

Song Xuetao smiled and said, "It's a rare opportunity, let's broaden the horizons of the younger generation, how about it?"

"I will obey Lord Song's orders." Gao Wu felt a little ashamed. In Song Xuetao's eyes, everyone else was a junior, but he dared not say that.

Song Mingyue suddenly said, "Great-grandfather, my cultivation level is still a secret and it is not convenient to reveal it."

“That’s easy, we can just spar privately.” Song Xuetao smiled, he could understand Song Mingyue’s idea of ​​hiding her strength.

After all, Gao Wu's martial arts skills were already astonishing. Everyone's attention was focused on Gao Wu. Song Mingyue, as a trump card, could play a decisive role at crucial moments.

The news that Song Xuetao was going to spar with Gao Wu immediately caused a sensation at headquarters.

The old man has been stationed on the ice plains for decades, and there has been no record of him making any public moves in recent years.

Everyone knows the old man is formidable, but few know just how formidable. Today, the old man is going to fight, right here in the training ground, and spectators are allowed to watch. Those who are eligible to watch are extremely excited.

Even Bai Tiejun of the Second Army rushed over to watch the battle upon hearing the news.

Even Song Chunshan from the First Army came over with his grandson, Song Mingying.

Outside the circular glass wall surrounding the underground training ground, a large crowd of spectators had already gathered. Although Bai Tiejun was the commander of the Second Army, he was just an ordinary person among the crowd.

Of course, as the commander of an army, he still received preferential treatment and could stand in the front row with Bai Yuzhen.

The dueling grounds were empty before the appointed time. The onlookers, however, were quite excited, discussing the upcoming battle.

"Old Bai!" Song Chunqiu strode over to Bai Tiejun's side and greeted him with a smile.

Bai Tiejun, with his tall stature and light golden skin, stood out in the crowd. Song Chunqiu and Bai Tiejun frequently collaborated on various fronts, and the two had a good relationship.

"You've reached Level 6?!" Bai Tiejun looked at Song Chunqiu with some envy; the old guy walked with such an air of confidence.

Damn, he's like a young punk who just got a girl, radiating smugness.

"Good eye." Song Chunqiu made no attempt to hide his opinion; such a good thing should certainly be publicized.

Bai Tiejun didn't want to talk about these things anymore. He changed the subject and asked, "I heard that Shi Potian was killed by Gao Wu?"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the Northern Continent; everyone with some influence knew about it, but there was no official confirmation.

Bai Tiejun was very curious about this. Could Gao Wu really kill Shi Potian? A few days ago, there were rumors that Gao Wu had killed the bishop of the Qilin Cult, which made him even more suspicious.

"What, you don't believe me?" Song Chunqiu asked with a smile.

"I really don't believe it." Bai Tiejun knew that Gao Wu's influence was growing, but it was too outrageous that Gao Wu, at only nineteen years old, had killed two seventh-level bishops.

"Gao Wu trained with you two years ago. Back then, Gao Wu was just a warrior, right?" Song Chunqiu nodded. He could understand Bai Tiejun very well.

Gao Wu's progress was too rapid; even he, who knew some of the inside story, found it unbelievable. Let alone other outsiders.

He didn't explain for Gao Wu, but said, "I was able to advance to level six thanks to Gao Wu's help. I believe him!"

Just as Bai Tiejun was about to speak, the lively crowd around him suddenly fell silent. He turned his head and saw Gao Wu, dressed in a crisp military uniform, striding towards him. Behind Gao Wu, Song Mingyue, also dressed in a crisp military uniform, followed silently.

"Mr. Song."

Gao Wu first greeted Song Chunqiu, then turned to Bai Tiejun and said, "General Bai, it's been a long time."

Bai Tiejun smiled and said, "Yes, it's been a long time." His gaze fell on the golden star on Gao Wu's shoulder, and his smile was somewhat complicated.

Gao Wu then greeted Bai Yuzhen, "Major Bai, how have you been?"

Bai Yuzhen saluted somewhat awkwardly: "Good morning, sir."

"We're all friends, no need to be so formal," Gao Wu said, but still casually returned a military salute.

"Wait a minute, don't leave yet. I'd like to treat you all to dinner. It's been so long, let's catch up..."

Gao Wu waved his hand and went into the training ground first. Song Mingyue did not follow. She wore sunglasses and silently watched the competition, not saying a word to anyone.

Not far away, Song Chunshan had been watching Gao Wu closely. Seeing the young man's imposing and heroic bearing, he couldn't help but nod in approval. He truly deserved to be called a dragon among men, possessing a heroic demeanor that could win people's hearts.

Song Chunshan then looked at Song Mingyue. This girl was as taciturn as the rumors described. He couldn't help but sigh softly. Was the Song family really going to entrust the family to such a girl?
Song Mingying was also looking at Song Mingyue. He asked Song Chunshan in a low voice, "Grandpa and Great-Grandpa really want to hand over the Song family to her? I think she's just an ordinary person!"

His gaze then turned to Gao Wu in the training ground, and he said somewhat unconvinced, "He thinks he can kill Shi Potian? Great-grandfather is just using his prestige to elevate him..."

(End of this chapter)