Chapter Fifty-Seven: Passing Down the Teachings

Tormented by indecision, Luo Rongguang ultimately could only submit a truthful report. From his first encounter with Lin Lei, to accompanying him through the transformation from immortal to mortal, witnessing with his own eyes Lin Lei’s “reversal of age,” then the destruction of the coalition forces’ magical artifacts, the monopolization of all spoils, and the refusal to attend the victory banquet... every detail was meticulously recorded in the memorial, which stretched to nearly two thousand words and filled three entire volumes.

Once sealed with wax, he dispatched messengers to deliver it posthaste to the Forbidden City. These were classified secrets, and Luo Rongguang had no intention of letting the telegraph bureau leak anything before the imperial decision was made.

Lin Lei spent three full hours replenishing his divine power. Aside from evading artillery and healing, he had scarcely used it, meaning three minutes of use required three hours to recharge. As for the consumption by his divine sense, it was negligible.

“System, my reserve of divine power is far too small! Does that Broad Sea Pill do any good at all?” Lin Lei was anxious, unable to sustain prolonged combat.

“Host, your divine power reserve is already outstanding for the awakening stage. Unless one specializes in healing, no cultivator below the Divine Refining stage would risk healing with divine power—one misstep and it’s completely drained,” the system replied.

Low-level cultivators typically relied on pills for healing, with divine power as an auxiliary to accelerate absorption. Yet, Lin Lei, emboldened by his cursory reading of the Cultivator’s Encyclopedia, sought to defy convention—using only divine power for healing at the awakening stage. What would he attempt at the Divine Refining stage, blood-born resurrection?

“Fine, let’s leave that aside for now. But in the real world, I can’t sense even a trace of divine power. Here, it’s still thin—just the awakening stage, and recovery is so slow. Is this truly the path of the strongest?” Lin Lei challenged again.

“In a primary world, being able to absorb divine power at all is fortunate. Worlds with abundant origin are rare—at your cultivation, you’re already a top expert here,” the system replied.

When a world’s origin becomes sufficiently concentrated, it ascends to a higher grade. Finding such worlds is like buying a lottery ticket—the odds are minuscule.

The system cared little for primary worlds; resource recovery was mostly by the ton, unlike the middle and high-grade worlds, where a single spirit herb could fetch dozens or hundreds of contribution points.

Thus, when searching for primary worlds, the only concern was whether the conditions for traversal were met, not the richness of their origin.

“Just crossing the barrier into a middle-grade world costs a thousand contribution points—it’s far too expensive,” Lin Lei grumbled, still hoping to save up.

“The same external mission yields ten times the profit: a thousand contribution points in a primary world, ten thousand in a middle-grade, a hundred thousand in a high-grade. The greater the investment, the greater the return. One doesn’t build a fortune by scrimping.” The system began its motivational speech.

It had witnessed Lin Lei’s methods for earning contribution points; if only it could coax him into working in higher-grade worlds, it could quickly accumulate enough origin to repair itself.

“Well... let’s talk about it later.” Lin Lei ended the conversation.

As the system said, he was already a top expert in low-grade worlds; why subject himself to abuse in advanced ones? Mining and fighting here were far more appealing.

Sure enough, his homebody tendencies prevailed. After grasping the system’s recycling rules, Lin Lei decided to lay low for a while.

To do so in peace, he needed to stabilize the rear. With the Eight-Nation Alliance’s invasion nearing Beijing, if the old woman in the Forbidden City fled, who would grant him mining rights?

Thus, Lin Lei “emerged” and sought out Feng Desheng once more.

“This is a training manual I’ve compiled based on your world’s weapons. I now pass it to you. From today, you are chief instructor of the Qian Division. Your task is to train a professional guard force!” Lin Lei handed him a condensed version of the “New Soldier Training Manual of the Liberation Army,” valued at five contribution points—a basic manual from the founding era, when equipment was still rudimentary.

If he used a twenty-first-century manual, with combined arms, antiaircraft, antimissile tactics, Feng Desheng would have no opportunity to apply such knowledge.

Following instructions, Feng Desheng pressed his hands onto the manual and mentally recited the learning incantation. The book dissolved into white light and merged into his mind, all knowledge instantly assimilated.

After savoring it for half a minute, Feng Desheng opened his eyes, knelt with excitement, and bowed three times: “Thank you, Master, for imparting the method! With this, I shall, within three months, train a guard force to drive out the foreign devils and glorify our nation!”

“Three months is too long. I’m giving you only one month. Also, I am of the Yanhuang lineage, and I only protect the descendants of Yan and Huang—regardless of Manchu or Han. Anyone who acknowledges themselves as of Yanhuang blood falls under the protection of the Qian Division. From now on, the Qian Division must never participate in internal strife!” Lin Lei commanded.

The current Qing dynasty, plagued by corruption and exhausted, was not a cause Lin Lei wished to prolong, especially for those in the Forbidden City who favored foreigners over their own.

“Should I resign from my acting post then?” Feng Desheng asked, sensing Lin Lei’s lack of favor for the Qing government.

With rebellions erupting across the Qing realm, Lin Lei seemed to have no intention of intervening.

“No need. We remain neutral, not opposed. Just convey my stance. If the court removes you, that’s their affair. Avoiding trouble doesn’t mean I fear it!” he said, sending Feng Desheng off to train.

With affairs of the Lin family and the Qian Division settled, Lin Lei finally found leisure. Luo Rongguang, apart from delivering an invitation after the defeat of the Eight-Nation Alliance, had not sent anyone since—likely awaiting imperial instructions, unsure how to approach Lin Lei.

This was precisely what Lin Lei desired. As an “immortal,” he had to project enough strength to secure maximum benefit in future negotiations.

As night fell, Lin Lei activated flight mode and, under its cover, departed from Dagu Fort, heading straight for Kaiping Town (Tangshan).

At the outbreak of war, the true strategic plan of the Eight-Nation Alliance was to advance south along the Shanhaiguan railway and capture Tianjin.

But the railway had been dismantled in advance by the Boxers; trains could only reach Kaiping (Tangshan).

Overland travel was too slow, and with the vanguard encircled at Langfang, the coalition changed tactics, dispatching fleets and marines to attack Dagu, hoping to approach Tianjin by water.

After the failed landing, the remaining fleet retreated to the sea near Kaiping. Lin Lei dispatched drones to track them, finally locating the coalition’s base.

With over twenty thousand troops, Lin Lei dared not attack by day. He set out at night, intending to use the silent killing ability of the Arbiter to deliver a devastating blow to the coalition’s main force.