Chapter 51: Opening Speech

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Opening Speech

"COUGH, COUGH." Seeing that Yu Yifan had already stated his position, Celestial Master Zhong Han gave two dry coughs. "It seems that you have all made your decisions. Since that’s the case, my Dragon Tiger Mountain has no choice but to..."

"Alright, let’s discuss the specifics," Shen Yun said, directly interrupting the Celestial Master’s feigned reluctance. "This Cultivator competition is an excellent promotional opportunity. I plan to offer some magical artifacts as rewards while simultaneously announcing the official establishment of the Huaxia Practitioner Alliance..."

Negative emotion points from Grand Celestial Master Zhong Han: +9999.

Over the past few days, Shen Yun had already planned out the entire itinerary. Of course, this was mostly thanks to Little Nine’s assistance.

As he outlined the procedures and the overarching theme, the other Golden Core experts were immediately and thoroughly impressed. They had racked their brains for a long time without coming up with anything, yet Shen Yun had somehow put together a highly structured and presentable project plan.

"It appears Perfected Shen is well-deserving of the Alliance Leader position," Master Yu Yifan said, his face breaking out into a broad smile that crinkled his features like a chrysanthemum. "This poor monk only needs to follow Perfected Shen’s lead."

"That won’t do," Shen Yun said with a wry smile. "Although this is a non-governmental organization, our responsibilities are heavy. In my opinion, it’s better if we take turns holding the position. Later on, if someone shows outstanding capability, we can gradually hand the reins over to them."

Seeing the clarity in Shen Yun’s eyes and realizing he truly had no desire to hoard power, Zhong Han nodded.

"Then it’s settled. Perfected Shen will serve the first term. We can discuss his performance internally later on. Either way... we must establish a stable environment for the younger generations." As he spoke, his gaze naturally drifted toward his sleeping daughter. Even though he had reached the Golden Core stage and possessed a long lifespan, his family was still his entire world.

"Fellow Daoist Shen is right," Miao Yun agreed, nodding as well.

With this, the framework for the Practitioner Alliance was successfully established. The group then spent some time ironing out the finer details.

As the time neared ten o’clock, a middle-aged man dressed in a long white robe knocked on the door. "Respected Golden Core experts, the representatives from various nations have all arrived. The opening ceremony is about to begin."

"We’ll be right there," Miao Yun replied.

The man belonged to the Wudang Sect—or more accurately, he had joined them recently. Following the revival of Spiritual Qi, various major sects had suddenly flourished, with many Cultivators hoping to obtain genuine inheritances from these renowned factions.

"Let’s go," Shen Yun said, taking a slow breath to calm his nerves.

Outside, the stadium was densely packed with people. Several massive screens broadcasted the events internally to the plaza crowds. Various television channels and online media outlets were live-streaming the event. Even ordinary people incapable of cultivation had taken their seats in front of their screens early, eager to watch this grand occasion.

Finally, amidst the roaring anticipation, the four Golden Core experts soared into the air, hovering in front of the cameras with their robes billowing in the wind. In an instant, the cheering grew so deafening it threatened to tear the roof off the stadium.

This overwhelming joy wasn’t just directed at Shen Yun and the others; it was also for the spectators themselves, and for every Cultivator around the world. Because this was their era.

"Everyone—"

Shen Yun raised his hand toward the camera. Propelled by his Spiritual Power, his voice rang with crystal clarity in everyone’s ears, even reaching those gathered in the plaza outside. The cheering gradually died down as everyone eagerly awaited Shen Yun’s speech.

"This is the world’s first global Cultivator competition. But to be honest, even us Golden Core experts don’t know what kind of events Cultivators should compete in."

A ripple of laughter swept through the audience. Shen Yun’s tone and expression weren’t overly serious. This had been Little Nine’s suggestion. He was originally just a young man in his twenties; trying to force the majestic aura of a mighty Golden Core expert would only set a bad example for the younger Cultivators.

"However, we all agree that a competition between Cultivators shouldn’t merely be a contest of martial prowess," Shen Yun continued. "Cultivators are human too. We need to eat, and we need to support our families. To tell you the truth, throughout my three years of bitter training, I’ve had to rely entirely on my old father to support me. It is truly shameful."

Shen Yun’s words resonated with the unspoken struggles of many in the audience. On the live streams, a flurry of comments began scrolling across the screen: "Me too!" "My whole family pooled their resources to fund my cultivation!" "We’re all in the same boat!"

Present-day Cultivators all wanted to progress further and become stronger, but doing so left no time for regular jobs. Those from wealthier backgrounds could rely on their families, while those less fortunate were forced to work part-time gigs to scrape by.

"Therefore, this competition will revolve around a single theme: Contribution," Shen Yun announced, his voice ringing out once more. "Only by contributing to others can one justifiably reap the rewards. Everyone here has received a modern education. I think we all know what our world would turn into if everyone relied on brute force to plunder and exploit... Chaos! War! Destruction! Believe me, no one wants to live in a world like that."

As his words fell, another wave of fierce, resounding cheers erupted throughout the stadium. Although a small minority desired chaos to satisfy their own selfish desires, the vast majority of people yearned for peace. They had finally managed to become Cultivators—the lucky one-in-a-hundred chosen few. Of course they wanted to live well and perhaps even pursue immortality.

Meanwhile, netizens online were engaged in a heated discussion.

"I knew it! Perfected Thunder said he would find the answer to that question!"

"It looks like the Golden Core experts have all reached a consensus."

"What a relief! If we ended up like those small chaotic countries, a non-cultivating beauty like me would’ve totally been reduced to a plaything."

"Beautiful miss, please drop your WeChat ID!"

"The real question is, what kind of contributions can Cultivators actually make? Do we just do manual labor because we have superhuman strength?"

"We actually have a Cultivator moving bricks at our construction site! One guy earns the wages of ten men!"

The world was still largely populated by ordinary people who couldn’t cultivate, so naturally, they were the ones who most desperately desired order. They constantly worried that once the Cultivators grew too powerful, they would use their martial strength to mercilessly oppress the common folk.

But now, even the mighty Golden Core experts standing at the very pinnacle of the Cultivation Realm had reached a unified consensus on this matter. This finally gave ordinary people a glimmer of hope for the future. Regardless of what happened next, Shen Yun’s speech today effectively established the moral compass of the Cultivation Realm, fully worthy of being recorded in the world’s annals.

Back at the stadium, his speech continued.

"Someone will explain the specific competition events in detail later. For now, it’s time to talk about the prizes." Shen Yun raised his hand. SHING. With a sharp metallic ring, an ancient sword appeared in his grasp. "The champions of every single event will be rewarded with a magical artifact—a flying sword!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the entire stadium erupted into another wave of amazed, deafening cheers.

A magical flying sword! How could any Huaxia cultivation novel ever lack magical artifacts? And among all magical artifacts, how could there not be flying swords!