Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1477 Common Benefits and Safeguarding the Circumstances

After the glow of the sunset faded, Chen Chuan felt as if he had reappeared in the viewing hall.

Ahead was a huge figure, Old She was sitting there, with the bulb-shaped lamp still in front of him.

However, this time, there was more than just one person present.

He looked to his left and right, where there were two more figures shrouded in light, both as large as Elder She, standing at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight meters tall.

On the left, a man sat cross-legged, wearing an old-fashioned robe, with his hair in a bun. He had a resolute face, his lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes were full of vicissitudes. Behind him, a white light like a galaxy flickered and drifted past him from time to time.

The man on the right had thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, a angular face, a strong jawline, and broad shoulders. He sat there with one hand on his cheek, looking very casual, and a crimson, flame-like light emanated from him.

It could be vaguely seen that from the darkness behind the three people, black, ashen-like things were drifting over, but they were instantly obliterated by the light that landed on the three people. They flickered rapidly, but even so, there seemed to be a violent collision in this contact.

Old She said, "The man on your left is named Yu Chenggang, and the man on your right is named Meng Zhenyang. These two are comrades of our Pure Sect and members of Tian Shu."

As for the others, they're all very busy. It was just the three of us meeting with you. Comrade Chen, I know you might have some questions. We can answer them for you.

After a moment's thought, Chen Chuan said, "I do have some questions that I would like to ask you seniors. I remember that I was not among the recommended candidates for the advisory group. Why did Tian Shu later decide to promote me?"

Old Master She's answer was simple: "Of the three spots recommended initially, you had the highest chance of breaking through to the upper realm. So, do you think you are more important to us, or are they more important to us?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "So that's how it is. That makes sense."

Actually, he had a feeling that the higher-ups' intervention in his joining the advisory group was definitely not because of any merit or anything like that, even if that was the case.

He also wondered if it was because he had some connection with higher-ups.
After all, putting aside his entanglement with the Heavenly Secrets Sect, the head of the investigation team, Meteora, had also expressed his clear support for him through official channels. If he could appease him, it would be equivalent to making two more allies in addition to the Great Shun.

Now it seems that his personal value is valued more, and it appears that not only the upper echelons of the Pure Faction but other upper echelons also recognize this.
Just as they were thinking this, they felt the entire hall shake, and the light on the three people flickered violently.

However, none of the three showed any change in expression.

Old She said, "The Great Collision is approaching, and the number of beings on the other side is also increasing. Recently, they have been continuously probing us, trying to find the loopholes in the World Ring."

We can hold on for now, and if things go well, we might be able to postpone the arrival of the massive impact even further.

However, that's just an optimistic estimate. What we really hope for is for more partners to come and share the burden with us.

Chen Chuan felt a chill run down his spine. So, it was because of the pressure from the outside that even the upper echelons who were not on the same side had to abandon some of the original conflicts. It seemed that the situation was indeed becoming more and more serious.

He looked up at the three of them and said:
"I have a question. Whether it is the advisory group, the government, or the factions, there are probably people who collude with foreign powers. I believe that the actions of these people cannot be hidden from you seniors."

Old Master She said, "You're asking us how we can tolerate the existence of such people." He scoffed, "It's not just them. Do you think there aren't people with similar thoughts in Tian Shu?"
If that weren't the case, why would those below dare to act so boldly?
But there's a reason for this: not all those beings on the other side are against us. Some of them are willing to help us, or at least superficially help us, and we have indeed benefited from it. So, we've established long-term cooperation with them.

As early as the founding of the Great Shun Dynasty, these people communicated with these extraterrestrial beings to participate in and overthrow the old imperial family. Not only our Eastern Continent, but countries around the world have similar problems.

Cutting off contact directly is impossible; our own strength is too weak. Therefore, we cannot simply reject those who have shown friendliness. Their power can still be utilized, so someone must communicate with them.

Meng Zhenyang on the right then spoke; his voice was deep and resonant, yet carried a calm and composed rhythm:
"Based on our pure ideals, we really dislike such actions, and even wish we could cleanse these filths."

However, it is a fact that the other side is far stronger than us, and the World Ring cannot be defended by our Eastern Continent alone. It requires the combined strength of all countries in the world, and such cooperation exists to varying degrees among all countries now.

If we were to take the lead, we would be going against the tide of history. Moreover, the Eastern Continent cannot withstand such internal strife. Given the circumstances, we have no choice but to make certain compromises.

To achieve our true vision, we must be able to completely overwhelm the other side.

We've been trying to strengthen ourselves, but the other side is doing the same. This competition, in fact, has inadvertently increased the overall strength of our world. The same applies to the situation described below.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan nodded. This gave him a better understanding of the current situation and why Tian Shu tolerated the existence of certain interest groups.

At that moment, it seemed as if another impact was coming, and the tremors were even more intense than before. The light flashing on the three people's bodies continued for a while.

Yu Chenggang began, "It's about time, let's stop here." His voice was rather cold and hard, echoing loudly as he spoke. Old Master She said, "Advisor Chen, let's stop here for now. If you have any further questions, you know how to contact us."

Chen Chuan nodded and raised his hand to clasp his hands in a fist salute to the three of them.

The three elders nodded slightly to him, and the light emanating from their bodies slowly faded until it disappeared into the darkness.

When Chen Chuan looked again, the void he had just seen was gone, and there was only a person standing in the hall.

He could sense that these three were just projections that had come to him, but perhaps because it was a mental contact, he could sense that something was coming from beyond the heavens.

After standing there pondering for a moment, he turned around and strode out.

As he walked out, he checked the publicly available information of all the advisory group members.

Currently, apart from the five-person advisory group, the remaining seventeen people include himself, with three Pure Faction advisors, two Implantation Faction advisors, two Natural Faction advisors, two Refinement Faction advisors, three Integration Faction advisors, one Wuyi Academy advisor, three military advisors, and one national enterprise advisor.

The military, Wu Yi, the "purist" faction, and the "implantation" faction have formed the main body of the "progressive" faction. Perhaps state-owned enterprises could also be added to this group. It seems that the "progressive" faction holds an absolute advantage.

However, it needs to be considered that there are many factions within the military with differing opinions, and representatives of state-owned enterprises may not necessarily side with them, which is why a similar equal voting result occurred last time.

In fact, the power struggle within the advisory group is the highest-level competition between various interest factions in the country.

It lies not only in the military strength of the advisors, but also in their responsibility to communicate with the higher authorities. The advisory group will adjust the national policies submitted by the State Council according to different stages and specific needs of the higher authorities, and thus grasp the overall direction.

However, due to the overall efficiency of the current political system, as well as the struggles and entanglements between interest groups, the final solution is often not the optimal one, but a compromise after all parties have made concessions.

In Chen Chuan's view, certain factions have become a serious obstacle. If we slowly play political games with them, things will always remain the same, and the best outcome after the big crash may be just like that.

How to do it? In fact, the progressive faction had already provided a clear paradigm in the matter of overthrowing the old imperial family.

The only problem now is that each member of the advisory group has the support of higher-ups, so this factor has to be taken into account when deciding what to do.

This is not something that can be decided hastily, nor can it be accomplished by him alone, so he put it in his mind for the time being and first looked at the responsibilities that the members of the advisory group need to clearly fulfill.

Firstly, regarding national affairs, the advisory group holds irregular meetings, usually when the government submits important issues and national policies, such as the attack on Jiaorong, in which case the advisory group's consent is sought.

All consultants will be required to attend the meeting. Consultants may abstain, but attendance is mandatory.

Secondly, and quite importantly, is to guard the Immortal Rift located beneath Red Hill.

That place is one of the most important nodes in the World Ring. Zhongjing and the four surrounding central cities together form a powerful field force that blocks this gap.

This task is also assigned to members of the advisory group on a rotating basis, and they must maintain this role for a certain period of time each year.

Of course, consultants can also send their own people to the site, but they must ensure that no problems arise. As long as no problems arise, no one will investigate. But if a problem does arise, then accountability will be pursued immediately.

Finally, the advisors are required to break through to the upper echelons as much as possible. This is also Tian Shu's requirement for them. Therefore, each person who receives a recommendation is the most promising or strongest person in each faction.

Chen Chuan could tell from these requirements that Tian Shu was preparing for the great collision and trying to accumulate enough power before then.

His focus going forward will be on breaking through his current cultivation level.

The biggest gain today was obtaining that wisp of primordial remnant. If I had to find it myself, I don't know how much time and effort it would have taken.

As for rare materials and locations, he would have to collect and develop them himself. Next, he would go to the World Ring to take a look, but before that, he wanted to go back to Jibei Province first.

……

……

(End of this chapter)