Long River Eternity

Lin Ding noticed the surprise on Chu Tianxiao's face and vaguely guessed what Yang An was doing. He had simply used his spiritual sense to allow Chu Tianxiao to glimpse fragments of his memories of his time with his parents. Lin Ding smiled slightly and said softly, "Nothing much, just some mental tricks. I'm sharing my memories with you, so it seems you trust me."

Chu Tianxiao's expression of astonishment remained. He had never heard of such a method before. However, he thought, considering Lin Tiansheng had excavated so many ancient ruins, perhaps he had learned this method from ancient texts. His surprise gradually gave way to excitement. He eagerly grasped Lin Ding's arm and said excitedly, "So you really are Dr. Lin's son? Great! I can finally fulfill Dr. Lin's request!"

"Instructions? What exactly happened between you and my parents?" Lin Ding asked anxiously, his heart full of doubts.

Chu Tianxiao looked around, moved closer to Lin Ding, and whispered, "This is not a good place to talk, let's go to my house."

So, Chu Tianxiao led Lin Ding out of the ruins and into a relatively busy neighborhood. Chu Tianxiao, who was about to take the bus, saw Lin Ding wave his hand to stop a passing taxi. He hurried forward and said awkwardly, "That taxi is too expensive. I can't afford it. Let's take the bus."

"Time is tight, a taxi is faster. I'll pay, you don't have to worry." Lin Ding comforted him, then skillfully opened the car door and got in.

Chu Tianxiao saw that Lin Ding and Wei Wu were already seated, then he carefully dusted himself off, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat. He closed the door carefully and sat stiffly, as if he was afraid of getting the car dirty or damaged.

The driver started the car and looked at Chu Tianxiao beside him and asked in confusion: "Little brother, what are you doing? Is it uncomfortable to sit in my car? Why are you sitting so straight?"

"No, no." Chu Tianxiao shook his hand and said, "I'm worried that I might damage your car. I can't afford the compensation."

The driver laughed and said, "You don't have any thorns on your body, how can you damage my car? Just sit comfortably. You're making me nervous by sitting so upright."

When Chu Tianxiao heard the driver say this, he slowly relaxed.

At this time, Wei Wu, who was standing behind him, also laughed and said, "Reporter Chu, aren't you from here? Haven't you ever taken a taxi before? Why do you look even more awkward than us outsiders?"

"I'm just a reporter, I only make a few bucks a month, how can I afford a taxi? Driving just a dozen kilometers would be enough for several days' wages." Chu Tian smiled bitterly, then turned to look at Lin Ding: "I didn't expect Dr. Lin's family to be so wealthy. Not only can they afford tickets to Zhongzhou, but they can also take taxis whenever they want."

Lin Ding smiled awkwardly and said, "My family isn't that rich. My parents' salary as archaeologists might not even be as high as yours. It's just that I made a little money by chance."

"I heard from Dr. Lin that you are still in school. How come you started making money? And you made so much money all of a sudden?" Chu Tianxiao's professional disease as a reporter came back, and he liked to get to the bottom of everything.

"Um... my friend killed a monster in Nanzhou and sold it for some money." Lin Ding patted Wei Wu's shoulder and said.

"Wow, to collect enough money for the trip from Nanzhou City to Zhongzhou City, you must have a Yuheng Realm monster. That's awesome, brother. I felt that the way you lifted me just now was extraordinary, but I didn't expect that you could actually defeat a Yuheng Realm monster. Could it be that you've reached the Tianquan Realm at such a young age?" Chu Tianxiao asked again.

"I was just lucky and happened to encounter a wounded monster," Lin Ding quickly explained. He realized that if he continued asking, his special situation with Wei Wu would be exposed, so he changed the subject and asked, "Reporter Chu doesn't seem to have a very high level of cultivation. Don't people in Zhongzhou City practice cultivation?"

"Zhongzhou City has a dense population, and all walks of life need corresponding talents, so all children decide what to focus on in their future studies based on their talents before they are ten years old. Those who have the talent for cultivation will practice, and those who don't will learn other knowledge. Of course, if they are interested, they can continue to practice. I happen to be that part who has neither talent nor interest." Chu Tian said with a smile.

"If you don't practice, when demonic beasts invade, you'll be like fish on a chopping block, powerless to resist. Are you willing to be slaughtered?" Wei Wu was puzzled by Chu Tianxiao's words. In a world rife with demonic beasts, practice is meant to protect oneself and those around you. Chu Tianxiao's suggestion that those without talent could learn other knowledge was understandable, but he couldn't accept that someone would give up practice simply because they had no interest. This was simply absurd in Wei Wu's eyes.

Lin Ding was also surprised by this. He recalled that he had no talent at all since childhood, and cultivation was almost a luxury for him. If he lived in Zhongzhou City, he might just be an ordinary worker at this moment.

Before Wei Wu could finish his words, the driver interrupted with a smile, "You young people are so naive. If everyone were to practice cultivation, who would build these houses? Who built the car you're riding in now? Who would manage and serve the restaurants and shops along the roadside? Since the founding of Zhongzhou City, the number of monster invasions has been very few. Who would give up the opportunity to make money to practice cultivation for such a tiny chance?"

As the driver finished speaking, Chu Tianxiao immediately took over. "I once accompanied a senior from our company on a field trip to a small to medium-sized city in Dongzhou. The conditions there were harsh, the population was sparse, and naturally, there were few strong individuals. This resulted in the residents being frequently harassed by demonic beasts. Consequently, they were forced to devote considerable time to training, hoping to defeat the next invasion. However, the result was always mutual destruction. Over time, a delicate balance formed between them and the demonic beasts, with neither able to completely annihilate the other."

Chu Tianxiao paused for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Ding and Wei Wu. Seeing that they were silent, he continued, "From what I understand, your Nanshan City is located next to Ruins No. 0, and the energy concentration is relatively high. If I'm not mistaken, many powerful people have been born there, and you have always had the upper hand in battles with nearby monsters. The scale of your urban development is also relatively large. Am I right?"

Lin Ding recalled Nanshan City's struggles against demonic beasts in recent years. Although many had been sacrificed, he had to admit that the powerful demonic beasts had indeed been mostly eliminated. Furthermore, compared to the urban area near Ruins No. 5, Nanshan City had indeed developed more rapidly. Everything was just as Chu Tianxiao had predicted.

However, Lin Ding still didn't understand how this related to the people of Zhongzhou City practicing out of interest, so he asked, "The situation in Nanshan City is basically the same as what you said, but how does this relate to whether or not we should actively practice? In a sense, it's the people of Nanshan City's hard work in practice that gives them the upper hand in their battles with the monsters."

Chu Tianxiao shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "Wrong! The key to victory in a battle against demonic beasts lies in the top combat power, not low-level cultivators like me. A Tianquan Realm expert is better than a hundred or even a thousand Yinyuan Realm cultivators. If that's the case, why not focus resources and time on those with talent, and let those without talent or who don't want to cultivate shine in other fields? I heard from Dr. Lin that you have a coming-of-age ceremony in Nanshan City. At the age of 18, your cultivation level is tested. If you reach Class A, you can stay in the ruins and get better cultivation opportunities. Isn't this also a screening mechanism? This is why your city has more powerful people. It's just that Zhongzhou City set the age at 10, and the method is more extreme."

Lin Ding's brow furrowed as he listened to Chu Tianxiao's words. He had to admit that Chu Tianxiao's words made sense, but he still felt something was amiss. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and realizing the problem, he spoke up, "You're right. Resources should indeed be allocated reasonably, but cultivation isn't a hobby; it shouldn't be determined by interest. Cultivation is a belief, a firm belief in protecting your family and striving for survival. You can focus your life on other things, but you must never give up cultivation. The safety of Zhongzhou City has made you lose your vigilance against the dangers of this world. In the event of an invasion, you will only rely on those high-end combat forces and have no ability to resist. Now that spiritual energy is about to fully recover, the power of the demonic beasts will be greatly enhanced. If one day, Zhongzhou City is breached, where will you go? I used to be unable to cultivate because of my special physical condition. But if I had given up, I wouldn't be able to sit in the same car with you now, anxiously waiting for news from my parents at home, helpless. Destiny should be in your own hands, not pinned on those powerful people, especially in today's world where demonic beasts are rampant."

After Lin Ding finished speaking, there was silence in the car. Neither the driver nor Chu Tianxiao refuted, but stared quietly ahead, as if thinking about something.

"Excellent! Well said!" Wei Wu suddenly praised loudly, startling everyone and causing the car to sway slightly. "You should take your own destiny into your own hands. You should slay monsters yourself. Watching others fight is so boring."

Lin Ding discovered that since Wei Wu awakened, his personality had become increasingly reckless, as if he couldn't wait to fight monsters every day. Lin Ding smiled helplessly.

At this time, Chu Tianxiao said excitedly: "Wait, spiritual energy revival? Did you mention spiritual energy revival just now?"