I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[Location: Across the ocean, the Pentagon, basement level 3 strategic command center]

The air was thick with the smell of stale coffee and the smoldering of electrical wires. This was the nerve center of global military power, yet it was now shrouded in a suffocating silence.

On the huge tactical screen, the same strike plan, codenamed "God's Hammer," was being simulated repeatedly.

It was a blinding red parabola—launched from an Ohio-class nuclear submarine in the central Pacific, carrying a Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile, its target aimed directly at that location in the Eastern Hemisphere: the main peak of the Kunlun Mountains.

"The simulation results are in."

A data analyst with a full head of white hair took off his glasses, his voice dry as if he were chewing sand, "Success rate: 0%."

Admiral Ross, a four-star general sitting at the head of the table, slammed his fist on the table, the alloy surface making a dull thud.

"How could it be zero?! That's just a mountain! Not an alien mothership! Our nuclear warheads have enough yield to flatten that mountain by a hundred meters!"

"General, the problem isn't whether we can pacify it, but whether we can deliver it."

The analyst pulled up a complex radar coverage map, his finger trembling as he pointed to the red area:

"First, the target has deployed an unknown energy field around the main peak. According to previous satellite data, even light is refracted when it passes through that area, and we cannot guarantee that the missile's guidance system will still function properly after entering that region."

"Secondly, and most fatally..." The analyst took a deep breath and looked at all the senior executives present, "that is the heartland of China."

At this moment, the command room was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat.

"If we launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or a submarine-launched ballistic missile, regardless of whether our target is the Chinese government, in the eyes of China's space-based infrared early warning satellites, this would be a standard strategic nuclear strike."

"Their HQ-19 and mid-course missile defense system will intercept them immediately."

"More importantly, their Strategic Rocket Force will open their underground launch silos the moment an attack is confirmed, in accordance with the principle of 'nuclear counterattack'."

The analyst closed the folder in despair:

"General, we just want to eliminate an uncontrollable supernatural being, not start World War IV and then turn World War V into a brawl with sticks and stones."

General Ross slumped back in his chair, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Since Kunlun University emerged, and since that young man (Li Changgeng) severed their understanding of the world with a single sword stroke, the Pentagon has never had a peaceful night's sleep.

The risk of physical extermination is too great, too great for any country to bear.

Since we can't use the hard approach, we'll have to use the soft approach.

Or rather, it's a shady practice.

"Notify William," General Ross waved wearily. "Let him negotiate. Use whatever means necessary—coercion, bribery, international law, moral blackmail… we must find out their bottom line. If we can get their core secrets, or even a live student, that will be a great achievement for him."

"But General, what if they refuse?"

A ruthless glint flashed in General Ross's eyes:

"Then let's activate 'Plan B'. We can't use nuclear weapons, but that doesn't mean we don't have other pawns in that ancient country."

……

The midday sun was dazzling and piercing, reflecting a dazzling white light onto the snow-capped mountains.

This is the limit that mortals can reach. Beyond this lies a perpetual fog and an invisible magnetic field barrier that can disable all electronic devices.

A black armored convoy bearing diplomatic license plates, resembling an ugly centipede, stopped in front of the blockade line.

The car door opened, and a group of Westerners in suits and ties, with arrogant expressions, stepped out. Leading them was William Smith, the UN Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and the US Special Envoy and Plenipotentiary.

He straightened his expensive silk tie, looked at the simple yet insurmountable barbed wire fence in front of him, and the armed Chinese soldiers behind it, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"I am William Smith! Representing UNESCO and the International Security Council!"

William brandished the document covered in bright red seals from various countries and roared at the middle-aged man in the old military overcoat in front of him:

"According to Article 72 of the International Security Convention, international expeditions have the unconditional right to enter and verify 'abnormal energy bursts' that may endanger the global ecological balance! You are obstructing official business! You are monopolizing the key to evolution that belongs to all mankind!"

The middle-aged man standing opposite him was not intimidated by this series of titles.

He had half a cheap cigarette between his fingers, and deep bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights. His shoulder insignia were blank, but the menacing special forces soldiers around him treated him with utmost respect.

He is Li Guozhong, the current director of Bureau 749. A boss who is specifically responsible for dealing with "those inexplicable problems that science can't explain".

"Mr. William," Li Guozhong exhaled a smoke ring, the smoke quickly dissipating in the cold wind, "I'll correct two of your common-sense mistakes."

He held up two fingers, their nails still covered in dirt:

"First, there is no 'abnormal energy burst point' here, only a university. Since it is a university, there are school rules. If the principal doesn't want to see you, even the King of Heaven himself will have to wait at the door."

"Second," Li Guozhong stepped forward, his eyes suddenly becoming as sharp as a hawk's, his voice lowered, "don't try to pressure me with those worthless conventions. Don't think I don't know what you're calculating in the Pentagon."

"You guys are afraid to press that red button because you're worried about everyone's mushroom cloud appearing at once. What, if force doesn't work, you're sending someone like you, who's all talk, to your death?"

William's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

This wasn't just a rejection; it was a blatant exposure. They actually knew about the "God's Hammer" simulation project?

"You... what nonsense are you spouting!" William roared, his voice trembling with fear. "We came with peace and sincerity! The power on Mount Kunlun belongs to all of humanity, not to any one nation! This is a selfish monopoly!"

"Monopoly?" Li Guozhong sneered, throwing his cigarette butt under his foot and stomping it out. "Then why don't you share your Area 51 UFOs? Enough nonsense, that person said he won't see any guests. Especially those with ulterior motives."

William gritted his teeth; it seemed that conventional diplomatic pressure was completely ineffective.

He took a few steps back and gestured to the technical team behind him.

"Since they don't want to come out, then we'll send our voices in! I have a responsibility to tell the students inside that they have the right to choose a broader future!"

buzzing-

With a low hum of motors, three multi-million dollar Global Hawk modified long-endurance drones took off.

They were not carrying missiles, but rather ultra-high-power acoustic wave emission arrays and panoramic cameras.

Li Guozhong's expression changed: "Stop them!"

"Director, no! The altitude is too high, and it's in international neutral airspace. Shooting it down directly would cause a diplomatic incident!" the adjutant next to him said urgently.

The drone flew higher and higher, heading straight for the cloud-shrouded main peak.

William picked up the high-frequency microphone connected to the drone, took a deep breath, and a politician's fanatical smile spread across his face. He wanted the whole world to hear his voice; he wanted to stand on the moral high ground and break down the students' psychological defenses.

"We come representing the civilized world! Please open your airspace immediately..."

"Students inside, the outside world is wonderful. As long as you are willing to come down from the mountain, the American government promises to give you the highest..."

……

[Location: Kunlun Main Peak, Wendao Square]

Three thousand students dressed in Taoist robes were sitting cross-legged on the huge white jade square.

From the air, these three thousand people look like three thousand chess pieces, subtly corresponding to the number of stars in the heavens, and with each breath, they seem to be connected to the entire Kunlun Mountains.

At that moment, a nauseating buzzing sound, like that of flies, mixed with the piercing sound of an electric microphone, faintly pierced through the clouds and reached the square.

"...Once you leave the mountain, you'll have a green card, a villa, and an annual salary of tens of millions of US dollars..."

"...You are victims of brainwashing..."

The atmosphere in the square was disrupted.

The previously uniform breathing sounds were now punctuated by noise. Many students opened their eyes and looked up in surprise at the black dots.

"What is that?"

"Is someone shouting?"

"Ten million US dollars? Really?"

"Was that an American drone? How did they get in?"

Even more surprisingly, a few students with unstable minds showed a hint of wavering in their eyes. After all, for these students who were once ordinary people, although a month of arduous training had transformed them, the words "US dollars" and "green card" still had a huge impact on the values ​​of the old world.

Gu Qing slowly opened her eyes. There was no anger in those eyes, only a detached indifference as if looking down on ants, and a hint of... annoyance at being disturbed.

"If the mind is not calm, the Way cannot arise."

Gu Qing's voice remained calm, but this time, it was no longer like a clear spring, but like an undercurrent in the deep sea.

He looked up at the few "flies" that were still chattering incessantly.

"Since you're here, don't leave."

Gu Qing extended a slender finger and gently tapped the air.

There was no earth-shattering explosion or fire.

But in that instant, the three thousand students in the square felt their hearts skip a beat.

They saw that the air in front of Gu Qing's fingertips suddenly rippled like the surface of water.

The ripple spread instantly to a radius of fifty miles at a speed that defied the laws of physics.

"roll."

There is only one word.

However, this single word was not produced through the vocal cords, but rather through the "celestial sound" generated by the direct vibration of spiritual energy particles by a vast divine consciousness.

……

Outside the cordon

William, who was speaking animatedly into the microphone, suddenly felt the world around him go silent.

The wind stopped, and the birdsong ceased.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable, terrifying pressure descended from the sky, like an invisible giant hand slamming heavily onto the earth.

boom! boom! boom!

The three drones in the sky, representing the pinnacle of human aviation technology, didn't even last a second before disintegrating in mid-air. The sturdy titanium alloy fuselages twisted and deformed instantly, like soda cans being squeezed by a hydraulic press, before finally turning into a pile of scrap metal, plummeting down while emitting black smoke.

On the ground.

"ah--!!!"

William let out a scream as he was thrown through the air as if hit by an oncoming truck, flying seven or eight meters before crashing heavily onto the hood of the SUV.

The glass shattered instantly.

His bodyguards and diplomatic entourage all collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads and rolling around, bleeding from their seven orifices. Although the voice hadn't killed anyone, it had directly damaged their inner ear semicircular canals and impaired their consciousness.

Li Guozhong and his soldiers hid in the trenches. Although they were also dizzy from the shock, it was clear that the attack had deliberately avoided them.

Li Guozhong staggered to his feet, looked at the foreigners rolling on the ground, then at the still immovable mountain, and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of bloody saliva, grinning:

"That's fucking awesome."

He walked to William, who was half-dead, knelt down, and patted his noble face, which was covered in blood:

"Mr. William, it seems your 'all of humanity' doesn't include you. Get out of here before you die."

……

The noise from the outside world completely disappeared.

Gu Qing withdrew his finger and glanced at the three thousand disciples below.

The overwhelming pressure of that instant not only shattered the drone but also stunned everyone. Those students who had been wavering were now pale-faced, sweating profusely, and filled with absolute awe for power.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Gu Qing said calmly, "This is the high technology of the 'civilized world' that you yearn for. In my eyes, it's nothing more than a few flies that I can crush at any time."

The audience was silent.

Chu Tian sat in the front row, his eyes burning with fervor. This was true cultivation! This was true freedom!

Looking at these young faces, Gu Qing sighed inwardly.

The intimidation was there, but coercion alone wasn't enough. Cultivation is a war for resources, and also a battle of human nature. If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it.

Moreover, with increasing external pressure, the growth rate of these students must be accelerated.

"Starting today, I have an announcement to make."

Gu Qing held up two fingers.

"Effective immediately, the cultivation resources allocated to outer disciples will be doubled."

"The original cost of one low-grade spirit stone every two days has been adjusted to one spirit stone per day."

boom!

This news is even more shocking than the drone that was just shattered.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

For those in the early stages of Qi Refining, a single spirit stone meant an entire night of highly efficient cultivation, saving them a lot of hard work. Two spirit stones every two days was already enviable, but now it's down to one spirit stone a day?

This is simply unbelievable wealth!

"Moreover," Gu Qing paused, then threw out an even bigger lure, "the top ten in the monthly exams will be rewarded with a mid-grade spirit stone, and... a chance to enter the second floor of the 'Scripture Pavilion' to select a spell."

If what happened before was just a boiling point, then this is madness.

Everyone's breathing became heavy.

What US dollars? What green card?

Compared to the real power of a spirit stone every day, those things are just waste paper! As long as you have power and longevity, what do worldly riches and honors matter?

Looking into those eyes filled with desire and fighting spirit, Gu Qing nodded in satisfaction.

I'm not afraid of you having desires, I'm afraid of you lacking ambition.

"alright."

With a wave of his sleeve, Gu Qing's figure gradually disappeared into the clouds and mist.

"Keep practicing. Don't make me need to do it myself next time I need to swat flies."

[System notification: The host has successfully resolved the diplomatic crisis and established absolute authority in the hearts of his disciples.]

[The overall enthusiasm for training has increased by 300%.]

Gu Qing stood on the cloud, looking down at the disarrayed convoy retreating below, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

"America won't let this go."

"However, I also need some time."

"In just a little time, these three thousand people... should be able to turn into three thousand real swords."