618: Lin Jing's excitement

Meanwhile, in He Dong's office on the other side...

The doors were tightly closed, and the light screen on the wall was still looping the starship drill footage. Lin Jing stood below the light screen, her gaze burning as she looked at He Dong sitting behind the office desk, asking him with a serious expression.

"Sect Master He, to tell you the truth, the Empire's strength truly surprises me. I even suspect whether you have already achieved Ascension from this world."

Over the past three days, to better enhance the effects of those potions and Subconscious Devices, He Dong had even shown them the full combat performance of a superstar-class starship.

From the eerie blue light when the ship-borne main cannon charged to the earth-shattering roar when the energy poured out, every frame accurately impacted everyone's understanding.

However, it also let He Dong know just how severe the suppression of the laws in this world was.

A single shot clearly capable of destroying a planet, under the constraints of this world, could only blast out a bottomless hole. The walls of the hole were as smooth as a mirror, faintly shimmering with the residual light of the Power of Laws, and even the surrounding mountain ranges weren't completely shattered.

Although He Dong wasn't very satisfied with this—such power couldn't even exert one percent of the starship's true strength, which was truly frustrating.

But the people from the Lingxiao Immortal Sect who watched the whole process were truly stunned. One by one, they froze in place, mouths slightly agape, eyes staring blankly at the bottomless giant hole on the light screen. They even forgot the rhythm of their breathing; their previous shock at the Empire had now completely turned into horror and bewilderment.

"This power... I'm afraid at least a Void Refining or even a Body Integration Stage Cultivator would be needed to produce it, yet a random starship here can do it."

A young Disciple's throat bobbed, his voice carrying an uncontrollable dryness, his gaze fixed on that bottomless hole as if wanting to carve the image into his bones.

During this time, they also learned that these 'flying boats' were actually called starships. That cold metal hull was no longer a simple object in their eyes, but a war behemoth spanning heaven and earth.

And as the only Body Integration Stage Cultivator, Lin Jing was the most shocked, because to be honest, she could indeed achieve that strike, but only if she put everything on the line.

Burning her Dantian's spiritual power, depleting her Origin cultivation, and even using her trump card Lifebound Treasure, she could barely produce such power, and afterward, she would need to go into seclusion for a long time to recover.

But those behemoths called starships only needed to light up with a few eerie blue glows and vent energy once from their muzzles to easily fire a full-strength blow of an Early Stage Body Integration Stage Cultivator. And looking at the cooling speed of the cannon barrel, it seemed there wasn't even a hint of depletion.

Such methods were unheard of in the entire Cultivation World. Lin Jing's clenched fists trembled slightly, her heart churning with stormy waves. It turned out that the cultivation Realms held as absolute truths in the Cultivation World could be so easily surpassed by these powers called 'Technology' in the Empire.

"Haha, Elder Lin, to be honest, the Empire has indeed broken free from this world. We are but a small part of the Empire."

He Dong leaned back in the large office chair, a confident smile playing on his lips as he heard Lin Jing's words.

He wasn't afraid of leaking information because he had seen all the subconscious indoctrination of this period. The Surveillance Light Screens showing those Disciples tossing and turning with wavering gazes had long become his most certain trump card.

Quite a few Disciples of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect had already approached him secretly, lowering their voices to express their willingness to join the Empire, only seeking to touch this power beyond imagination.

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Jing was completely dumbfounded. The shock on her face instantly froze, her mouth slightly open but unable to utter a word for a long time. Her mind buzzed, leaving only one thought echoing wildly.

Wait, what? I was just joking, but you're saying it's real? Is that right?

"Then longevity, wouldn't you guys..."

She suddenly snapped back to reality, her voice carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling. Her eyes stared fixedly at He Dong, and her breathing became rapid.

Since He Dong said their Empire had already broken free from this world, wouldn't the issue of longevity also be resolved?

After all, didn't these Cultivators spend their entire lives in bitter cultivation just to break free from the shackles of Lifespan and seek immortality?

But legend has it that only Ascension grants a Lifespan equal to the heavens. From ancient times to the present, very few Cultivators have been able to step into that stage.

Even great experts of the Undergoing Tribulation stage have an average Lifespan of only ten thousand years. Someone like the Seventh Ancestor in the Sect, who has lived over thirteen thousand years, is already a Heaven-Defying existence. That is because he is backed by the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, with a steady stream of life-extending Medicinal Pills and countless Heaven And Earth Treasures that countless Cultivators dream of.

And for a Body Integration Stage Cultivator like her, the average Lifespan is only two to three thousand years. It seems long, but in the long river of time, it is but the blink of an eye. With one misstep, her Lifespan will be exhausted, and she will turn into a handful of yellow soil.

"Longevity... the Empire can indeed achieve that currently."

He Dong leaned back in his seat, a faint and certain smile playing on his lips.

His tone was as casual as if he were talking about a most ordinary matter, not deliberately showing off, yet carrying an unquestionable confidence.

After all, for an Empire spanning the Universe, longevity was never a technical difficulty; it was merely a threshold for screening members—a question of whether you were qualified enough to possess it.

Hearing this answer, Lin Jing's whole body shook as if a thunderclap had exploded in her mind, instantly shattering all her restraint and composure.

Her originally tense body suddenly leaned forward, her breathing becoming rapid, her chest heaving violently. The shock from the Empire's strength earlier now completely turned into an extreme craving for longevity.

Ignoring her dignity as a Body Integration Stage Elder and forgetting the restraint she had maintained for several days, she hurriedly folded her hands in front of her and bowed deeply. Her back bent into a nearly ninety-degree arc, her hair falling forward to hide the heat in her eyes. Her voice carried an uncontrollable tremble but was exceptionally devout.

"I hope Sect Master He can allow me to join the Empire. I am willing to contribute all my strength to the Empire—whether it be cultivation, connections, or resources, as long as the Empire needs it, I, Lin Jing, will not hesitate!"

She didn't doubt for a moment that He Dong was lying to her.

In these three days of contact, everything He Dong had shown them had already exceeded the limits of the Cultivation World's understanding.