Li Jialing listened in silence and complimented sincerely, "What a great idea. I believe that after such a well-planned 'live stream war', nobody will want to be a disgraceful Cultivator anymore."
"That's exactly what I mean."
Wuying Lan couldn't help but smile when the young man, who had been personally refined by him and was even identical to him in many procedures, complimented him "sincerely". "I have never been superstitious about absolute violence. Or rather, real strength is never as simple as pure violence. 'The strong prey on the weak' is naturally a truth, but there are thousands of other factors that influence who is strong and who is weak other than one's combat ability!
"At the very least, to completely annihilate the thoughts of the Cultivators today, it is not possible to achieve it through pure violence."
"Got it."
Li Jialing nodded his head, deep in thought. Then, he looked at Li Lingfeng and asked, "However, why did you bring me here to see that, and why did you tell me that?"
Li Lingfeng smiled and said, "The live stream war to annihilate 'Starlight' is not so important. What matters is that I hope that you can see the brand-new strength — the strength to control eyeballs and minds through media.
"It has been decades since the slaughter stream platform was conceived and perfected, but in the past, we only used it for profits and to appease the hominoids. To be honest, we haven't excavated the tip of the iceberg of its real potential yet.
"But today, after hearing Lord Wuying's introduction, you should be able to vaguely sense how enormous and immeasurable the iceberg hidden below the ocean is.
"Such a strength can anesthetize or stimulate the will and emotions of billions of people instantly, making them fall into our logic according to our carefully choreographed program. They will cry, laugh, be angry, hate, and even think according to our will. Such a strength can mold somebody into a hero in only a couple of days or even hours, and it can turn a hero into a devil in only a couple of minutes. At the most critical moment, it can even be used to seize and control … the entire universe!
"The annihilation of 'Starlight', a riot gang of Cultivators, is just a test. The key is to try and figure out a mature pattern from it and how we can implant our ideas into the brains of all the target groups without them knowing it. If we can achieve that, the value of the platform will be immeasurable, and a lot of very interesting things can be done with it."
Frowning, Li Jialing mumbled, "Is it possible?"
"Of course it is. Don't underestimate the power of the 'slaughter stream'."
Wuying Lan chuckled. "Did you know? Among the hominoids on many remote resource planets in the Imperium, there are truly a lot of people, especially the teenagers, who do not hesitate to end on bad terms with their parents in order to deeply participate in our livestreams and derivative games. They even kill their parents and steal their money before they join us without caring about anything else.
"You cannot compare the hominoids with your own intelligence and thinking patterns. We are all highly-evolved, brand-new human beings who have a profound understanding of the logic of the world. Naturally, we will not be fooled by such petty tricks. However, the hominoids are much better than the ignorant beasts. It is more than simple to manipulate them. Greed, indulgence, jealousy, pride, anger, sloth … As long as we work on the fatal weaknesses of humanity, the hominoids will cry and laugh whenever we want them to, and they will hate their parents whenever they want. In the end, all their souls will be absorbed by us. Only the world of the 'slaughter stream' will be the real world, and the worlds and families around them will become groundless, unimportant existences. We will be their ultimate gods. It is absolutely possible, and it is happening right now!"
Li Jialing sniffed softly. "It does sound like a splendid and magnificent design. Then, what role can I play in such an enormous project? I don't think that you have spent so much time, effort, and resources on me just to create a loyal audience, do you? "
Wuying Lan and Li Lingfeng looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
"Why? Are you still angry?"
Wuying Lan said with a smile, "You don't know how much Lord Li treasures you. Most of the modifications that have been performed on you were only applied to you after countless experiments, and I even tried them on myself, and after the effects and safety were confirmed. Even though they were slightly painful, there was absolutely no fatal danger.
"In the entire Imperium, few young people can enjoy such treatment as you do. Now that you have made a breakthrough in your training, your future is limitless. Are you still going to be bothered by the insignificant things in the past?"
"Although you are young, you are definitely a smart man. I will not beat around the bush with you."
Patting Li Jialing's shoulder heavily, Li Lingfeng said, "We have brought you to 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' partly because we want to continue treating you and remove the weird seal in your head. Should we succeed, we would like to package you into a new hero."
"Package me into a hero?"
Li Jialing was slightly dazed. He was truly stunned this time. "Me? A hero?"
"Exactly. A hero, a star, and a super idol who is popular among all the young people in the Imperium. You will be very popular among both the hominoids and the middle- and low-level Immortal Cultivators. After a series of operations, you will even become the spokesperson of the concept of 'slaughter stream' and a … god in the eyes of countless hominoids and low-level Immortal Cultivators!"
Li Lingfeng gestured and introduced his ideas incessantly. "The battle to annihilate 'Starlight', which is neither too large nor too difficult to stream live, is the best opportunity for us. At the beginning, we do not need to introduce your identity and your background. We do not even need to show your real face. All we need is for you to show up in a very cool crystal suit and march from the sky on a killing spree when the Cultivators' hopes are dashed and they show up in desperation." That will be enough for you to go on a killing spree.
"Through the battle of 'Dying Starlight', you will leave a deep impression in the hearts of countless people of the Imperium. Later, a series of soul-stirring and bizarre missions will be arranged for you so that you will soar into the sky and become a real superhero!"
Li Jialing looked at Li Lingfeng in disbelief.
"Is it so hard to accept?"
Li Lingfeng smiled. "Speaking of heroes, right, you just took down a 'hero'. Li Yingxiong, his father is not to be messed with. After you return to the family, I'm afraid that you will be faced with a storm that is neither too big nor too small. I will not help you directly.
"I've been thinking about how to stuff you into the family's channel of ascension, but the conventional elimination and upgrade routes are too slow. It can easily take decades or even centuries of observation and training. Neither you nor I can wait that long.
"Therefore, we might as well bypass the messy selection process within the family and find another way to create an extremely charming superhero from the outside. When the time comes, it will be much more convenient for me to do a lot of things for you."
After a brief silence, Li Jialing asked, "Am I suitable?"
"Why? Are you not confident in your own capabilities?" Li Lingfeng asked.
"I'm not confident in my background."
Li Jialing opened his hands and said, "Everybody in the family knows that I'm just the child of a pair of low-level warriors."
"That's the most suitable point. We've decided to stick to that theory."
Li Lingfeng smiled. "Ever since the Imperium of True Human Beings was established, it has always been preaching the idea that 'a hero's background does not matter and that everybody can succeed as long as they work hard enough'. Born at the bottom but unwilling to degrade, they fight their way to the top. That is the standard portrait of the Immortal Cultivators of the Imperium and the most attractive hero."
"It's a pity that the Imperium has lasted for a thousand years after all. A big tree has dry branches. After a thousand years of Imperium, all kinds of contradictions and shortcomings are gradually showing up. The stratification is a rather serious problem."
Wuying Lan sighed and continued, "I wonder, have you ever heard a weird saying in the circle of the Immortal Cultivators right now, Lord Li? 'If the father is Yuanying, the son is Yuanying. If the father is Jin Dan, the son is Jin Dan'. Most people's final level depends on their parents' Cultivation and level.
"As a result, a lot of middle- and bottom-level Immortal Cultivators who do not have any background and connections are uneasy. It will be fine if they are only frustrated and carefree, but I fear that they will have other thoughts.
"The hominoids are all mobsters. They are nothing to be scared of however many riots they cause. But the middle- and bottom-level Immortal Cultivators are the foundation of the Imperium. If even they cannot see any hope and are full of resentment, the problem will be rather serious."
"That's right. After all, it is not the age of Blackstar the Great a thousand years ago, when everybody was full of ambition and was about to burn their everything for the civilization of mankind. The Immortal Cultivators today are no longer the Immortal Cultivators a thousand years ago. The moral of the world is deteriorating with each generation. How many people can still be like me, who only values talents and completely carries out the concept of 'strength is everything'? As long as they are strong enough and have potential, they will be qualified to inherit my resources and strength, regardless of whether they are my descendants or my grandchildren."
Li Lingfeng shook his head, not entirely convinced. Then, he focused his eyes on Li Jialing. "However, only in such a way can your preciousness be more apparent. A common descendant of a family with mediocre talents who never gave up despite all kinds of humiliation. Through arduous efforts, you finally 'counterattacked' miraculously and distinguished yourself in the boundless space … You are almost a perfect image.
"How about it? Are you willing to give it a try?"
The young man was caught in hesitant silence.
Or rather, he seemed to be caught in a very hesitant silence.
After a long silence, he raised his head again. There was both desire and ambition in his eyes that had been aroused by the two big shots, but there was also a hint of wariness instinctively.
"Can I ask you a question?"
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