Long River Eternity

They walked into the next room and saw Yang Nian alone, with only a puddle of water in front of her. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes were staring out the window, as if she was lost in thought.

"Teacher Yang." The three of them called out in unison.

Yang Nian slowly turned her head, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes as she shuffled between the three of them. With their combined 18 years of experience, they couldn't possibly grasp the complex meaning contained within those glances. Yang Nian's gaze seemed to travel through billions of years, across countless mountains and rivers, finally settling on Lin Ding, as if searching for some answer. However, she didn't see the answer she was looking for, so she could only sigh helplessly and ask, "What are your plans from now on?"

Lin Ding pondered for a moment and replied, "After finishing things here, I plan to return to Nanshan City first."

"Since you have already come out, don't go back. Nanshan City, that small place, will not be of any help to your future practice. Stay in Zhongzhou City." Yang Nian's tone was calm, but revealed a hint of toughness.

"But... our relatives are still in Nanshan City." Wei Wu couldn't help but say, with uneasiness in his tone.

"Just go back and visit your relatives occasionally. If you think the journey is too far, ask them to come to Zhongzhou City, and I will bear all the expenses. I have lived for so long, and I may not have much other things, but I have plenty of money." Yang Nian's voice was calm, but it seemed to contain a hidden power.

The three of them pondered silently, and then Lin Ding spoke: "Let's think about this again. However, I want to ask, what are your plans for letting us stay in Zhongzhou City?"

"Although your cultivation has improved rapidly, your actual combat experience is too scarce. In battle, you mainly rely on brute force and the most basic techniques. Including Lin Ding, I heard from Xiao An that you entered his memories and learned from his combat experience, but to be honest, we didn't participate in many battles in the early stages. Apart from the experience of cultivation, there is almost nothing to learn from in terms of combat." Yang Nian said.

"Do you mean that we should go to the vicinity of Zhongzhou City to challenge monsters and gain practical combat experience?" Lin Ding asked tentatively.

Yang Nian shook his head slightly and said, "It's too inefficient for you to go find the monsters on your own. I want you to join the military department. The military department is currently divided into four teams: the law enforcement team, the city defense team, the frontier development team, and the land expansion team.

The Law Enforcement Team and City Defense Team were responsible for maintaining city security and defending against monster invasions, needless to say. The Territory Expansion Team, on the other hand, was responsible for expanding the city and clearing out threatening monsters near the East, South, West, North, and Central Provinces, killing or expelling them. The Frontier Expansion Team headed to the Four Provinces of Fire, Cold, Poison, and Sea, exploring uncharted territory and creating a new living space for humanity.

So you now have two choices: join the Frontier Expedition Team. Although the monsters you encounter may not be strong, there are many unknown dangers lurking; or join the Territory Expansion Team, where most of the monsters are recorded. However, those with lower cultivation have already been dealt with, and the remaining ones are at least great monsters above the Jade Eternal Realm.

After hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought. Time passed slowly in silence. Finally, Liu Xianxian and Wei Wu turned their gazes to Lin Ding. Lin Ding took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with determination. He slowly said, "I choose to join the Tutu Team. After all, we have only been out of Nanshan City for ten days, and our understanding of this world is still limited. It is too risky to rashly venture into unknown areas. It is better to gain some experience around the city first."

Yang Nian nodded in agreement. "Okay, your decision is wise. The Tuotu team recruits twice a year, and this year's second recruitment will be in three days. You should prepare well these few days and don't forget to sign up."

"Um... Teacher Yang, are there any requirements for registration?" Liu Xianxian glanced at Feng Hao beside her and asked hesitantly.

Yang Nian followed her gaze to Feng Hao and asked with a hint of surprise, "You want to go too?"

"I want to go!" Feng Hao answered firmly with determination flashing in his eyes.

Yang Nian thought for a moment and said slowly, "The registration requirement is that the cultivation level must be above the Yaoguang Realm, but there is no age limit. However, such a young age is indeed unusual. The youngest one was in the first half of this year. I heard he was a freak. He was only ten years old when he registered, but he had already entered the Kaiyang Realm and was accepted into the Tuotu Team as an exception."

He bent down slightly, moved closer to Feng Hao, and asked softly, "How old are you? How is your cultivation?"

"I'm eight years old, in the early stage of Yaoguang Realm." Feng Hao answered obediently, with anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Yang Nian looked at Feng Hao carefully, then stood up and said with emotion: "It seems that you are also a little demon. But why do I always have a strange feeling when looking at you?"

When Lin Ding heard Yang Nian's words, he couldn't help but remember that Qin Hanming had mentioned similar feelings, so he told him Qin Hanming's evaluation of Feng Hao.

"So, Old Qin feels the same way. Since I can't even see through his mind, I don't need to worry about it. I'll just take him and give it a try. The Military Department will definitely not let such a talent go." Yang Nian smiled slightly, then turned to the crowd: "Any other questions?"

"Will there be any problem if I join the military department as the descendant of God's messenger?" Lin Ding asked cautiously.

"Of course not. In fact, there are no real descendants of God's Messenger. It's just that the people of Tianshu Pavilion are self-righteous and think that those who cultivate spiritual energy are the descendants of God's Messenger. You can use this identity to avoid exposing your secrets. So as a descendant of God's Messenger, how can there be any problem in protecting mankind and expanding territory?" Yang Nian responded calmly.

"This divine messenger should be referring to you and Yang An, right?" Lin Ding asked.

"That's right. Since the destruction of the last era, Xiao An, Qin Lao, Shi Gang and I have been guarding the only remaining humans. Thousands of years have passed until they gave birth to nuclear monks and were able to protect themselves. Then we left. Therefore, the legend of the messenger of God has been passed down among humans." Yang Nian answered seriously.

"Teacher Yang, you have lived for so long, what level of cultivation have you reached? Why didn't you take action when Nanshan City was invaded by monsters last time?" Wei Wu asked bravely.

Lin Ding and Liu Xianxian were both shocked when they heard Wei Wu's question. Although they also had doubts, they had never dared to ask so directly, fearing that it would cause misunderstanding and make Yang Nian think that he was blaming her. They did not expect Wei Wu to be so outspoken.

After hearing this, Yang Nian raised the corners of his mouth slightly and smiled faintly: "I was just an ordinary person back then, how could I have taken action? Now I am only at the Heyuan realm."

"What?!" The three of them exclaimed in unison, their shock evident in words.

"Ever since the spiritual energy dried up, the spiritual power stored in our bodies has long dissipated like smoke over billions of years, leaving only a long lifespan and a body slightly better than that of ordinary people." Yang Nian's voice was indifferent, but revealed helplessness.

"So, you have lived as ordinary people for billions of years?" Lin Ding asked in disbelief, with surprise flashing in his eyes.

With Yang An's memories, Lin Ding already had some understanding of the ancient cultivation methods. For those with advanced cultivation, it was common to spend hundreds or even thousands of years in seclusion. Therefore, he was not overly shocked by Yang An and others' ability to live for hundreds of millions of years, at most he was a little surprised.

However, hearing Yang Nian mention how, over these long years, they had been unable to cultivate, watching helplessly as the once mighty masters of heaven and earth, severing waters and splitting mountains, gradually became ordinary men, and finally, Xu lived a dull life like any other mortal, all this filled him with endless doubt and sympathy. What had sustained their resolve for these two hundred and fifty million years, these endless days and nights?

Seeing the shocked expressions of the three people, Yang Nian smiled slightly, as if trying to ease the heavy burden. "Actually, it's not as bad as you think. As long as we have spirit stones, we can still absorb the spiritual power within and recover some of our cultivation. But ever since Old Qin arranged all the spirit stones and spirit essences into a spirit summoning array five thousand years ago, we have completely become ordinary people, no longer having the power to defy the heavens."

Lin Ding couldn't help but ask, "Although this question is a bit strange, what has kept you going until today? And why are you so eager for the revival of this world's spiritual energy?"

A hint of hatred flashed across Yang Nian's calm eyes, and his voice was low and powerful: "In order to find a great truth and a great revenge!"