Lu Yin indifferently replied, "I’m not trying to be some sort of savior, but I’ll do what I can. Humanity’s final fate depends on me, but it’s also my own life. Regardless of how much work I end up doing for the Fifth Mainland, it’s possible that no one will appreciate it."
"It's good that you realize that. Humans are fickle creatures. Don't expect anyone to feel grateful to you in your lifetime, though there will be people who understand how to be grateful. It all depends on the perspective. Will Arch-Elder Zen feel grateful to you?" Wang Wen asked.
"Who knows? I just don't want to be forced to take the last step. Let’s get started. Now it’s your turn to take action. We need to first design the Tower of the Fifth. I’ll supply you with the materials," Lu Yin stated. This was actually connected to Lu Yin’s last resort, so it was very important to get all of those people caught up in the Tower of the Fifth.
Wang Wen smiled. "Stop worrying. Besides, regardless of whether you do turn out to be some sort of savior, I’ll make sure that everyone treats you like one. Your Highness, you just need to wait a bit to see countless people erecting monuments to you."
Wang Wen ended the call.
Lu Yin lowered his gadget. It was an immense relief to have Wang Wen to handle such matters.
After ending his call with Wang Wen, Lu Yin went to find Director Zhi.
Director Zhi and many others on Aurora Fortress did not care about any of the major events taking place in the outside universe, as they were completely focused on producing microarrays.
This technology had been the ultimate goal of Aurora Enterprises for countless years, and they had finally achieved it. Even if Lu Yin's meddling had forced them to suddenly work for him, there was nothing that could suppress their fanatical devotion to developing the microarray technology.
Master Xuan was exhausted. He was continuously setting up more and more sourcebox arrays on the microarrays, and he was going at a pace that was too much even for a Realm Array Master.
The production of a microarray was actually not that complicated, especially since Aurora Enterprises had already put so much effort into preparing for this exact situation early on. They had essentially set up an assembly line in anticipation, and they had just been missing the primary material needed for the creation of the microarrays.
Director Zhi watched a cultivator who was experimenting with a microarray, his eyes shining. He understood that their technology would eventually change things for all of humanity, and his name would go down in history because of it.
"How many have you made?" Lu Yin spoke up from behind the man.
Director Zhi was surprised at Lu Yin’s presence. "Have you already finished your seclusion?"
Lu Yin answered, "That’s pretty normal. How many microarrays have you made?"
Lu Yin’s casual response shocked Director Zhi, but the question also reminded him that all of these microarrays were going to be given to Lu Yin, which left Director Zhi rather uncomfortable. "Maybe a few dozen."
"Where's the new universal armor?" Lu Yin asked again.
"I don't know. I gave that project to Old Biao, so you’ll need to ask him."
Lu Yin continued, "Help me out with this batch as quickly as possible, as another batch of materials is on its way."
Director Zhi was pleasantly surprised to hear this. "More bark?"
"Paper."
Director Zhi felt disappointed. "That’s a pity. It would be nice to get more of the bark."
"It’s really difficult to get that bark, so don’t expect any for now. The paper still works," Lu Yin said. He was also eager to get more of the bark. There was simply too much of it available in the Perennial World, as the Mother Tree constantly shed its bark. Even independent cultivators in the Perennial World could get the paper made from the Mother Tree’s bark, and thinking about this left Lu Yin feeling frustrated. There was simply too much bark being wasted there.
"How much will it be?" Director Zhi asked.
Lu Yin replied, "A bit more than 500 sheets. You’ll get some to use for your own research, and you’ll need to make 100 microarrays for me with the rest."
Director Zhi frowned and turned to look at Lu Yin. The older man really wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.
Lu Yin knew what the man was thinking. Even though microarray technology had already been successfully developed, only Aurora Enterprises was capable of mass-producing it. The company had devoted themselves to the development of the technology and the preparations to manufacture it; they simply had too much of an information advantage.
It was unrealistic to hope to have Aurora Enterprises fall under Lu Yin’s control. "As for payment, give me a total price for everything."
Director Zhi's eyes flickered. "Tell me where that bark comes from, and my Aurora Enterprises will make your microarrays for free for a set period of time. Within that time frame, we’ll make as many microarrays as you supply materials for."
"Why didn't you just ask Elder Jiu Shen?" Lu Yin caught off guard.
Director Zhi shook his head. "If my ancestor was still alive, he would be able to speak with Elder Jiu Shen, but as for me, I can at most ask for help. Elder Jiu Shen won't speak to me."
Lu Yin understood that powerhouses from older generations were typically proud and arrogant individuals, especially those like Elder Jiu Shen who were mainly focused on staying alive. While the man was not evil or malicious, he could not be bothered to speak to anyone too weak. "Alright, five years. I’ll provide you with more materials within a year, and you’ll give me the microarrays for the next five years. I’ll also share the source of the bark with you and how to get more.”
"Two years," Director Zhi instantly countered, "You’re only giving me some information. Having my Aurora Enterprises provide you with two years of work for just a bit of information is already a lot."
"Then just forget it. I'll keep giving you more materials, and you can just send me a bill." Lu Yin turned around and left.
Director Zhi was left speechless. Were they not even going to discuss it? He was a businessman who was accustomed to negotiating, but Lu Yin was different. Lu Yin knew that he was the only person who could provide Aurora Enterprises with the information that they needed, which gave him a complete monopoly.
In the end, Director Zhi was forced to give in, and he promised to make microarrays for Lu Yin for free for the next five years. Naturally, Lu Yin had to provide all the core materials, and Aurora Enterprises would not front any funds or resources for him.
"It’s the Mother Tree. The bark comes from the Mother Tree," Lu Yin explained.
Director Zhi was completely lost. "What mother tree?"
Lu Yin knew that the man did not understand. Regardless of how rich or influential Director Zhi might be, he was too weak to be privy to certain pieces of information. In fact, forget Director Zhi—even monsters with power levels of over a million might not have heard about the Mother Tree.
Lu Yin gave a brief explanation about the Mother Tree and the Daosource Sect while also sharing a bit about the war between the Sixth and Fifth Mainlands as an aside.
Only after all of that did Director Zhi understand what the Mother Tree was.
"You said that there’s a way to get more of the bark?" Director Zhi asked eagerly.
"Arch-Elder Zen. Go speak with him, and he can send you to the Perennial World. That’s how you can get more bark."
Director Zhi's cheek twitched. He felt like Lu Yin had just pulled one over him. The director had not even known about the Mother Tree before this conversation, so how could he possibly have the qualifications to speak to Arch-Elder Zen or ask to be sent to the Perennial World?
If Lu Yin’s information was correct, then the Perennial World was much, much stronger than the Fifth Mainland. So, what was the point in going to that place?
After leaving the microarray production center, Lu Yin went to find Chief Engineer Biao to check on the development of the new universal armor. Lu Yin quickly discovered that the research had already been completed and that there was a finished product available.
Lu Yin then immediately called Director Zhi and asked for a universal armor to be integrated with a microarray. He needed the finished product, which was a universal armor that included both a microarray and the white smoke. He needed a battle-ready universal armor.
Suddenly, Lu Yin remembered something else, and he called Ban Jiu.
"Make a combat simulator as soon as possible.” Lu Yin’s order was for the scientist to create a virtual game where people could fight in a simulator with the new universal armors and train with them. There was no way that Lu Yin could get enough microarrays to let the soldiers train with them in the real world.
This was not a difficult task, and it would be easy for Ban Jiu to complete the simulator.
"I can have it ready in no more than ten days," the man promised Lu Yin.
The call ended, and Lu Yin stared westward.
The Perennial World was coming for him, and he was quickly running out of time. He had to finish all of his preparations.
The debate continued to rage online, and things were becoming more and more intense. Even as various major powers tried to step in and suppress the discontent, it was impossible to keep the entire universe from speaking. Independent cultivators would always have a disadvantage when compared to people associated with powerful organizations. Even if the Hall of Honor was willing to share a few battle techniques, the independent cultivators would not be easily placated.
This was the situation in the Human Domain when the Great Eastern Alliance published an announcement that shocked the entire Fifth Mainland, including even the Sixth Mainland in the Outerverse and the Astral Beast Domain.
"In order to raise the strength of all of humanity, Lu Yin, the overseer of the Hall of Honor and leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, will construct the Tower of the Fifth in the Cosmic Sea to house inheritances. The place will be made freely available to all humans for them to learn, explore, and study."
This announcement caused the entire Fifth Mainland to erupt. Beneath the announcement was additional information sharing the size of the Tower of the Fifth, as well as the inheritances that it would contain. Everyone in the entire universe who saw the announcement was left staring at the plans for the Tower of the Fifth in shock.
The Tower of the Fifth would have nine floors, and each floor would contain battle techniques, cultivation arts, resources, power vessels, and more. The further up the tower one went, the more there would be. Additionally, more treasures would constantly be added to the tower. This information left countless people stunned.
Even just the first floor would hold thirty cultivation arts, including a method to train battle force, information about tribulation crystals, the different levels of mastery of battle force, domains, and more. The greatest treasure of the first floor was going to be the first level of the Cosmic Art.
The second floor was slated to contain methods to improve and cultivate a domain, the Overlaying Stacks Path, but the greatest treasure was the First Sword of the Sword Sect’s Thirteen Swords.
Not everyone was capable of learning the Thirteen Swords, but the First Sword would still be made available in the Tower of the Fifth for everyone to see if they could comprehend the technique.
The third floor would house the first 100 Stacks of the Overlaying Stacks Path, as well as the Inception Array sourcebox array. The greatest treasure there would be the Daynight Restoration Technique.
The fourth floor would have the Channeling Diagram sourcebox array. Even though it was only a single sourcebox array, the power of Channeling Diagram had been demonstrated during ZENITH, and it had enticed countless people.
On the fifth floor, one would be able to experience what golden battle force felt like, as well as the Creation realm of star energy control.
The sixth floor would contain 300 Stacks of the Overlaying Stacks Path, as well as another sourcebox array: Teleportation Formation. The core inheritance was going to be Lu Yin's most famous battle technique: Vacuum Palm.
The seventh floor would hold the full Thirteen Swords inheritance, the Yu Secret Art, and the greatest treasure would be the Nightking clan’s Skybreaker.
On the eighth floor, one would be able to experience the Ce Secret Art, as well as what Board Manipulation felt like. The greatest treasure there would be Inverse Step. As for Inverse Step, the provided explanation stated that it had been the primary technique of one of Progenitor Chen’s nine invincible clones.
On the final ninth floor, one would find Extremes Must Be Reversed and the God of Death Transformation.
Each floor contained an inheritance that belonged to Lu Yin, and the highest floor would even hold his God of Death Transformation. Practically everyone could remember seeing Lu Yin’s invincible state during the final battle of ZENITH, and they knew that that had been the God of Death Transformation.
The numerous inheritances available in the Tower of the Fifth caused countless people throughout the Fifth Mainland to feel their blood surge and their eyes flush. Untold numbers of cultivators left their homes and started making their way to the Cosmic Sea.
No one was worried that the announcement was fake because it was also stated that the Tower of the Fifth would be built and overseen by the Hall of Honor itself. This served as a guarantee that the announcement was completely true. In other words, if people were able to climb to the top floor of the Tower of the Fifth, they would be able to receive all of Lu Yin's inheritances.
Who was Lu Yin? He was the champion of ZENITH. He was a peerless individual who had managed to unite both the Innerverse and Outerverse and who had gained control of the overseers’ council despite cultivating for just a few decades.
Who did not dream of being the next Lu Yin? This was the opportunity to fulfill that dream.
The Tower of the Fifth was an opportunity available for everyone.
Throughout all of human history, no one had ever made their entire repertoire of techniques publicly available for the entire universe to learn. Even the independent cultivators who had been guiding the public sentiments to try to force the various powerful organizations to share some of their battle techniques had never dreamed of receiving such an opportunity.
However, this was how Lu Yin usually acted. He either did nothing at all, or he went all the way and held nothing back.
Lu Yin indifferently replied, "I’m not trying to be some sort of savior, but I’ll do what I can. Humanity’s final fate depends on me, but it’s also my own life. Regardless of how much work I end up doing for the Fifth Mainland, it’s possible that no one will appreciate it."
"It's good that you realize that. Humans are fickle creatures. Don't expect anyone to feel grateful to you in your lifetime, though there will be people who understand how to be grateful. It all depends on the perspective. Will Arch-Elder Zen feel grateful to you?" Wang Wen asked.
"Who knows? I just don't want to be forced to take the last step. Let’s get started. Now it’s your turn to take action. We need to first design the Tower of the Fifth. I’ll supply you with the materials," Lu Yin stated. This was actually connected to Lu Yin’s last resort, so it was very important to get all of those people caught up in the Tower of the Fifth.
Wang Wen smiled. "Stop worrying. Besides, regardless of whether you do turn out to be some sort of savior, I’ll make sure that everyone treats you like one. Your Highness, you just need to wait a bit to see countless people erecting monuments to you."
Wang Wen ended the call.
Lu Yin lowered his gadget. It was an immense relief to have Wang Wen to handle such matters.
After ending his call with Wang Wen, Lu Yin went to find Director Zhi.
Director Zhi and many others on Aurora Fortress did not care about any of the major events taking place in the outside universe, as they were completely focused on producing microarrays.
This technology had been the ultimate goal of Aurora Enterprises for countless years, and they had finally achieved it. Even if Lu Yin's meddling had forced them to suddenly work for him, there was nothing that could suppress their fanatical devotion to developing the microarray technology.
Master Xuan was exhausted. He was continuously setting up more and more sourcebox arrays on the microarrays, and he was going at a pace that was too much even for a Realm Array Master.
The production of a microarray was actually not that complicated, especially since Aurora Enterprises had already put so much effort into preparing for this exact situation early on. They had essentially set up an assembly line in anticipation, and they had just been missing the primary material needed for the creation of the microarrays.
Director Zhi watched a cultivator who was experimenting with a microarray, his eyes shining. He understood that their technology would eventually change things for all of humanity, and his name would go down in history because of it.
"How many have you made?" Lu Yin spoke up from behind the man.
Director Zhi was surprised at Lu Yin’s presence. "Have you already finished your seclusion?"
Lu Yin answered, "That’s pretty normal. How many microarrays have you made?"
Lu Yin’s casual response shocked Director Zhi, but the question also reminded him that all of these microarrays were going to be given to Lu Yin, which left Director Zhi rather uncomfortable. "Maybe a few dozen."
"Where's the new universal armor?" Lu Yin asked again.
"I don't know. I gave that project to Old Biao, so you’ll need to ask him."
Lu Yin continued, "Help me out with this batch as quickly as possible, as another batch of materials is on its way."
Director Zhi was pleasantly surprised to hear this. "More bark?"
"Paper."
Director Zhi felt disappointed. "That’s a pity. It would be nice to get more of the bark."
"It’s really difficult to get that bark, so don’t expect any for now. The paper still works," Lu Yin said. He was also eager to get more of the bark. There was simply too much of it available in the Perennial World, as the Mother Tree constantly shed its bark. Even independent cultivators in the Perennial World could get the paper made from the Mother Tree’s bark, and thinking about this left Lu Yin feeling frustrated. There was simply too much bark being wasted there.
"How much will it be?" Director Zhi asked.
Lu Yin replied, "A bit more than 500 sheets. You’ll get some to use for your own research, and you’ll need to make 100 microarrays for me with the rest."
Director Zhi frowned and turned to look at Lu Yin. The older man really wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.
Lu Yin knew what the man was thinking. Even though microarray technology had already been successfully developed, only Aurora Enterprises was capable of mass-producing it. The company had devoted themselves to the development of the technology and the preparations to manufacture it; they simply had too much of an information advantage.
It was unrealistic to hope to have Aurora Enterprises fall under Lu Yin’s control. "As for payment, give me a total price for everything."
Director Zhi's eyes flickered. "Tell me where that bark comes from, and my Aurora Enterprises will make your microarrays for free for a set period of time. Within that time frame, we’ll make as many microarrays as you supply materials for."
"Why didn't you just ask Elder Jiu Shen?" Lu Yin caught off guard.
Director Zhi shook his head. "If my ancestor was still alive, he would be able to speak with Elder Jiu Shen, but as for me, I can at most ask for help. Elder Jiu Shen won't speak to me."
Lu Yin understood that powerhouses from older generations were typically proud and arrogant individuals, especially those like Elder Jiu Shen who were mainly focused on staying alive. While the man was not evil or malicious, he could not be bothered to speak to anyone too weak. "Alright, five years. I’ll provide you with more materials within a year, and you’ll give me the microarrays for the next five years. I’ll also share the source of the bark with you and how to get more.”
"Two years," Director Zhi instantly countered, "You’re only giving me some information. Having my Aurora Enterprises provide you with two years of work for just a bit of information is already a lot."
"Then just forget it. I'll keep giving you more materials, and you can just send me a bill." Lu Yin turned around and left.
Director Zhi was left speechless. Were they not even going to discuss it? He was a businessman who was accustomed to negotiating, but Lu Yin was different. Lu Yin knew that he was the only person who could provide Aurora Enterprises with the information that they needed, which gave him a complete monopoly.
In the end, Director Zhi was forced to give in, and he promised to make microarrays for Lu Yin for free for the next five years. Naturally, Lu Yin had to provide all the core materials, and Aurora Enterprises would not front any funds or resources for him.
"It’s the Mother Tree. The bark comes from the Mother Tree," Lu Yin explained.
Director Zhi was completely lost. "What mother tree?"
Lu Yin knew that the man did not understand. Regardless of how rich or influential Director Zhi might be, he was too weak to be privy to certain pieces of information. In fact, forget Director Zhi—even monsters with power levels of over a million might not have heard about the Mother Tree.
Lu Yin gave a brief explanation about the Mother Tree and the Daosource Sect while also sharing a bit about the war between the Sixth and Fifth Mainlands as an aside.
Only after all of that did Director Zhi understand what the Mother Tree was.
"You said that there’s a way to get more of the bark?" Director Zhi asked eagerly.
"Arch-Elder Zen. Go speak with him, and he can send you to the Perennial World. That’s how you can get more bark."
Director Zhi's cheek twitched. He felt like Lu Yin had just pulled one over him. The director had not even known about the Mother Tree before this conversation, so how could he possibly have the qualifications to speak to Arch-Elder Zen or ask to be sent to the Perennial World?
If Lu Yin’s information was correct, then the Perennial World was much, much stronger than the Fifth Mainland. So, what was the point in going to that place?
After leaving the microarray production center, Lu Yin went to find Chief Engineer Biao to check on the development of the new universal armor. Lu Yin quickly discovered that the research had already been completed and that there was a finished product available.
Lu Yin then immediately called Director Zhi and asked for a universal armor to be integrated with a microarray. He needed the finished product, which was a universal armor that included both a microarray and the white smoke. He needed a battle-ready universal armor.
Suddenly, Lu Yin remembered something else, and he called Ban Jiu.
"Make a combat simulator as soon as possible.” Lu Yin’s order was for the scientist to create a virtual game where people could fight in a simulator with the new universal armors and train with them. There was no way that Lu Yin could get enough microarrays to let the soldiers train with them in the real world.
This was not a difficult task, and it would be easy for Ban Jiu to complete the simulator.
"I can have it ready in no more than ten days," the man promised Lu Yin.
The call ended, and Lu Yin stared westward.
The Perennial World was coming for him, and he was quickly running out of time. He had to finish all of his preparations.
The debate continued to rage online, and things were becoming more and more intense. Even as various major powers tried to step in and suppress the discontent, it was impossible to keep the entire universe from speaking. Independent cultivators would always have a disadvantage when compared to people associated with powerful organizations. Even if the Hall of Honor was willing to share a few battle techniques, the independent cultivators would not be easily placated.
This was the situation in the Human Domain when the Great Eastern Alliance published an announcement that shocked the entire Fifth Mainland, including even the Sixth Mainland in the Outerverse and the Astral Beast Domain.
"In order to raise the strength of all of humanity, Lu Yin, the overseer of the Hall of Honor and leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, will construct the Tower of the Fifth in the Cosmic Sea to house inheritances. The place will be made freely available to all humans for them to learn, explore, and study."
This announcement caused the entire Fifth Mainland to erupt. Beneath the announcement was additional information sharing the size of the Tower of the Fifth, as well as the inheritances that it would contain. Everyone in the entire universe who saw the announcement was left staring at the plans for the Tower of the Fifth in shock.
The Tower of the Fifth would have nine floors, and each floor would contain battle techniques, cultivation arts, resources, power vessels, and more. The further up the tower one went, the more there would be. Additionally, more treasures would constantly be added to the tower. This information left countless people stunned.
Even just the first floor would hold thirty cultivation arts, including a method to train battle force, information about tribulation crystals, the different levels of mastery of battle force, domains, and more. The greatest treasure of the first floor was going to be the first level of the Cosmic Art.
The second floor was slated to contain methods to improve and cultivate a domain, the Overlaying Stacks Path, but the greatest treasure was the First Sword of the Sword Sect’s Thirteen Swords.
Not everyone was capable of learning the Thirteen Swords, but the First Sword would still be made available in the Tower of the Fifth for everyone to see if they could comprehend the technique.
The third floor would house the first 100 Stacks of the Overlaying Stacks Path, as well as the Inception Array sourcebox array. The greatest treasure there would be the Daynight Restoration Technique.
The fourth floor would have the Channeling Diagram sourcebox array. Even though it was only a single sourcebox array, the power of Channeling Diagram had been demonstrated during ZENITH, and it had enticed countless people.
On the fifth floor, one would be able to experience what golden battle force felt like, as well as the Creation realm of star energy control.
The sixth floor would contain 300 Stacks of the Overlaying Stacks Path, as well as another sourcebox array: Teleportation Formation. The core inheritance was going to be Lu Yin's most famous battle technique: Vacuum Palm.
The seventh floor would hold the full Thirteen Swords inheritance, the Yu Secret Art, and the greatest treasure would be the Nightking clan’s Skybreaker.
On the eighth floor, one would be able to experience the Ce Secret Art, as well as what Board Manipulation felt like. The greatest treasure there would be Inverse Step. As for Inverse Step, the provided explanation stated that it had been the primary technique of one of Progenitor Chen’s nine invincible clones.
On the final ninth floor, one would find Extremes Must Be Reversed and the God of Death Transformation.
Each floor contained an inheritance that belonged to Lu Yin, and the highest floor would even hold his God of Death Transformation. Practically everyone could remember seeing Lu Yin’s invincible state during the final battle of ZENITH, and they knew that that had been the God of Death Transformation.
The numerous inheritances available in the Tower of the Fifth caused countless people throughout the Fifth Mainland to feel their blood surge and their eyes flush. Untold numbers of cultivators left their homes and started making their way to the Cosmic Sea.
No one was worried that the announcement was fake because it was also stated that the Tower of the Fifth would be built and overseen by the Hall of Honor itself. This served as a guarantee that the announcement was completely true. In other words, if people were able to climb to the top floor of the Tower of the Fifth, they would be able to receive all of Lu Yin's inheritances.
Who was Lu Yin? He was the champion of ZENITH. He was a peerless individual who had managed to unite both the Innerverse and Outerverse and who had gained control of the overseers’ council despite cultivating for just a few decades.
Who did not dream of being the next Lu Yin? This was the opportunity to fulfill that dream.
The Tower of the Fifth was an opportunity available for everyone.
Throughout all of human history, no one had ever made their entire repertoire of techniques publicly available for the entire universe to learn. Even the independent cultivators who had been guiding the public sentiments to try to force the various powerful organizations to share some of their battle techniques had never dreamed of receiving such an opportunity.
However, this was how Lu Yin usually acted. He either did nothing at all, or he went all the way and held nothing back.
