Chapter 633: Samsara Group

Chapter 633: The Reincarnation Conglomerate

"Do you believe reincarnation exists?"

This was the very first question Kuang Tianqing posed to Dao Qiankun on the night they met.

Faced with her inquiry, Dao Qiankun merely smiled, offering no direct answer, but instead asked with curiosity, "Oh? Asking me this on the eve of the tournament—have you perhaps encountered a reincarnated soul?"

Crossing her arms, her long hair rippling in the breeze, Kuang Tianqing spoke with studied nonchalance, "I was merely wondering... if the legends of rebirth and reincarnation hold true, what impact the widespread adoption of life-extension technology would bring."

Dao Qiankun stepped to the window, gazing at the moon in the sky, and said placidly, "In this world, even if the cycle of reincarnation exists, it must surely be under the control of the immortals."

"And if it is controlled by the immortals, then how everyone is reincarnated, and the length of their lifespans... becomes a matter of profit, a question of governing Kunxu."

"Under this hypothesis, the longer the lifespan, the fewer the reincarnations; the shorter the lifespan, the more the reincarnations. From the extreme of universal immortality to the opposite extreme of universal mortality, different paths of development all stem from the setting of average lifespans."

"How long one lives, and how often one is reborn, will determine the interests of all parties, and more importantly, dictate the direction of Kunxu's development in immortal arts and technology..."

Listening to Dao Qiankun's words, Kuang Tianqing's gaze sharpened slightly as she said coldly, "You are right. So if there is a cycle of reincarnation, there must be a Reincarnation Conglomerate."

"And the Reincarnation Conglomerate would never allow the average lifespan of society to increase easily."

Kuang Tianqing stepped before Dao Qiankun, her eyes locked onto him as if trying to see through his very soul.

Kuang Tianqing said, "If the Reincarnation Conglomerate exists, then in the face of life-extension technology, they would surely suppress it by every means possible."

Dao Qiankun looked at her calmly. "Perhaps."

Continuing to stare at him, she said, "The Deity Transformation elders of the Four Schools of Ten Thousand Methods have yet to approve the acquisition and promotion of life-extension technology. Could it be that they have considered the existence of reincarnation?"

Meeting her gaze directly, Dao Qiankun asked, "Are you asking if the Reincarnation Conglomerate is backing me?"

"Kuang Tianqing, you take things too seriously. What we just discussed was mere hypothesis. Whether reincarnation exists... who can truly say?"

"You can trace the source of all the wealth behind me; you should know perfectly well who supports me."

Kuang Tianqing sneered, "Reincarnation is a taboo subject. Even if the Reincarnation Conglomerate truly exists, it cannot be publicized freely. Thus, if they were to interfere with the world, they would never do so openly, but would forever operate in the shadows, hidden beneath rumors and hearsay."

Instead of addressing her doubts directly, Dao Qiankun suddenly asked, "Do you know what immortal art the three Deity Transformation elders of Ten Thousand Methods wish for me to choose?"

"What art?" Kuang Tianqing asked.

"The Dharma Realm Divine Creation Scripture," Dao Qiankun replied.

Kuang Tianqing's figure trembled slightly. "The Dharma Realm?" she asked in surprise.

"Is this the choice of Ten Thousand Methods University? Or..."

"The choice of the Ten Thousand Methods Sect?"

...

Inside the mourning hall.

Snapping out of her memories of that night, Kuang Tianqing turned her gaze once more to the corpse of Dao Qiankun, sitting cross-legged before her.

She thought to herself, "Dao Qiankun, if you are truly dead, you have it easy, spared the exhaustion I must now endure."

"Do you have any idea that since your death, I have become the target of all criticism, and one wrong move will plunge me into eternal damnation?"

Though it seemed the whole world supported her now, hoping she would win the championship, hoping she would select the immortal art and chart the future course of development for all.

Though under such scrutiny, the support and security surrounding her had escalated accordingly.

Kuang Tianqing could still feel as though she were standing over a cauldron of boiling oil, where the slightest misstep would blow her to pieces.

Rubbing her increasingly aching brow, she cursed inwardly, "Damn it... I need to make those old fogeys pay more."

Lost in thought, she began to pace around Dao Qiankun, as if observing something.

Zhang Yu, standing to the side, asked, "What are you looking for?"

Glancing back at him, Kuang Tianqing asked, "Do you think Dao Qiankun is really dead?"

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. "Huh?"

Missing not a single shift in his expression, she enunciated every word, "Do you believe he is the kind of person who would choose suicide before the tournament, throwing away his chance to compete?"

Frowning, Zhang Yu said, "What are you getting at? You think he isn't dead? For you, whether he's dead or not, his inability to compete is a good thing, isn't it? At least you can rest easy extending the lifespans of everyone in the world."

Snorting coldly, Kuang Tianqing looked at him and said, "So you belong to the faction opposing universal life extension? Do you think I don't know the drawbacks? Reduced social mobility, diminished innovation, a world growing ever more stagnant... but it is still far better than the choice of your Ten Thousand Methods."

Zhang Yu's gaze tightened. "The choice of Ten Thousand Methods? You know what it is?"

Kuang Tianqing smiled. "You don't? Dao Qiankun didn't tell you?" Curiosity welling up within him, Zhang Yu deliberately probed, "Whatever the choice of Ten Thousand Methods is, it must be better than life extension, right?"

But Kuang Tianqing did not reveal what the choice was. Instead, she changed the subject, saying, "When the older generation of Deity Transformation elders live a few years longer, you all say this is bad and that is bad."

"But have you ever considered what will happen when the older generation dies and the new generation of Deity Transformation elders takes their place?"

Seeing Zhang Yu's bewildered look, she pursed her lips and said, "You should read the Nascent Soul dissertations from the Four Schools of Heavenly Demons in recent years, especially those by the Deity Transformation candidates."

"Though if I were in their shoes, I would probably make the same choices they did."

"After all, only by being more radical, generating more exorbitant profits, and sustaining greater growth can one win the backing of the Heavenly Demon Sect and become the new generation of Deity Transformation elders at Heavenly Demon University."

Sighing, Kuang Tianqing remarked, "But from a student's perspective, if I had to choose a Deity Transformation elder, I would rather the older generation keep living. At least they aren't so radical."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Hold on... you turned yourself into a woman just to have eight Deity Transformation elders tutor you, and that's not radical? Just how radical can the Deity Transformation candidates of the Four Schools of Heavenly Demons get?"

Sensing the shifts in Zhang Yu's expression and posture, the fluctuations of his mana and aura, while various analytical results continuously flashed in her ocular implants, she thought, "This kid really seems to know nothing at all."

Watching Kuang Tianqing resume her inspection around Dao Qiankun, Zhang Yu quickly said, "What are you doing? Keep messing around and I'll call for help!"

Even as he spoke, he took the opportunity to slip behind Dao Qiankun, wanting to see if there was anything wrong with the corpse.

"Nothing happening?"

Standing behind Dao Qiankun with a hint of nervousness and feeling nothing occur, Zhang Yu thought, "Right, if it were this easy to trigger something, the autopsy would have found it long ago."

Just then, Kuang Tianqing placed her palm on Dao Qiankun's shoulder.

In the next instant, a figure suddenly emerged from the corpse, saying coldly, "Who dares disturb my slumber?"

Startled by the figure, Zhang Yu said, "Brother Dao?"

Looking at the figure before her, Kuang Tianqing frowned and said, "This doesn't seem like the real Dao Qiankun."

The figure looked at her and said, "If I am not Dao Qiankun, who else could I be?"

After exchanging a few words with the figure and inspecting it further, she said bluntly, "Hmph, just an artifact spirit with a fragment of memory. It probably manifests upon touching the corpse. What a boring trinket."

Finding no clues after her inspection, Kuang Tianqing left the mourning hall, leaving Zhang Yu alone to stare at the artifact spirit, the two of them locked in a silent standoff.

After exchanging a few words with the spirit, Zhang Yu realized it only repeated the same phrases over and over. Finding it dull, he returned to his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, the night passed. The demonic blood within Zhang Yu was completely refined, and his Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture of the Demon Saint advanced to a higher level.

Though no secrets were found on Dao Qiankun's corpse, the Dao Seed of "Descendant of the Immortals" flashed once more, strengthening Zhang Yu's resolve to continue cultivating here.

Thus, over the next few days, while purchasing demonic blood daily, Zhang Yu cultivated the Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture of the Demon Saint in the mourning hall, keeping company with Dao Qiankun's corpse.

During this time, the Dao Seed of "Descendant of the Immortals" on the corpse flashed more frequently, increasing from once a day to several times a day.

Zhang Yu had a hunch that as long as he kept accompanying the corpse, he would eventually gain the opportunity to copy the Dao Seed.

However, with the purchase of demonic blood and the maintenance of various magical treasures and dharma shells, Zhang Yu's spirit coin balance plummeted, quickly dropping to just over two hundred and sixty spirit coins.

"Next, I need to cultivate my Dao arts to level twenty and continue buying demonic blood. I also have to maintain my magical treasures and dharma shells for the upcoming matches. And if copying the Dao Seed costs money, or if I need to modify my magical treasures later..."

Zhang Yu ran a quick mental calculation, realizing that while the sum of spirit coins he currently possessed seemed substantial, it still fell woefully short of his needs.

Especially with his sights set on the championship, no amount of spirit coins could ever be considered excessive.

Yet, as the details and rules of the finals were brought to light, his subsequent advertising fees underwent a noticeable shift.

Though he would still earn sponsorship money for every upcoming bout, the one-on-one format, the redistribution of public attention, and the shortened broadcast durations all conspired to drive down his advertising revenue.

In the intimate arena of one-on-one combat, the audience's gaze was naturally drawn to the undisputed champions of their respective academies, formidable powerhouses like Kuang Tianqing, Yan Xiang, Tian Shenggong, and Zang Shenyu.

Had Zhang Yu not siphoned a great deal of public fervor from Jihu during his last clash with Ling Pojun, his sponsorship rates would undoubtedly have plummeted even further.

As it stands in our current negotiations, the agency is willing to offer around seventy spirit coins for your next sponsorship slot.

If only they could sweeten the pot a little more.

Just as Zhang Yu was mulling over these figures, a message arrived from Ye Xingli.

Ye Xingli: Junior Brother, aren't you planning to start a livestream?

Zhang Yu: Why do you ask?

Ye Xingli: The Jihu fans hurling insults at you have been multiplying by the day, making it the perfect opportunity for you to cash in on the outrage through a livestream.

Zhang Yu: But I am in the midst of cultivation.

Ye Xingli: Isn't making money the finest form of cultivation? What practice could possibly yield better results than raking in cash on a livestream? End of chapter.