Upon Wang Qi's words, the atmosphere within the hall suddenly became stagnant.

Why, why do these Ancient Method Practitioners insist on fighting to the death with the Modern Heretics? Why won't they surrender? Can't they see that in this heaven and earth, the Modern Cultivator is already invincible? [They are unaware of the true strength of the Dragon Clan, nor the ancient civilizations scattered throughout the Sun System].

One major reason is that these high-order cultivators can no longer turn back.

Once a Golden Core is ingested, only then does one realize that their fate rests in their own hands, not the heavens.

The Golden Core Stage is a sign of achievement in the Mana System.

And the Alchemy Shattering Infant Formation represents a complete transformation of life.

At this point, the soul has already begun to merge with the Mana System. At this stage, the soul is no longer merely an optional accessory but becomes the core of life.

Wasting one's effort is equivalent to self-destructing the soul.

It's tantamount to suicide.

Therefore, these Ancient Method Practitioners, knowing they are no match, must grit their teeth and continue to resist.

They pass on their cultivation methods, driven not only by the obsession to pass down their sect but also with the intention of "training cannon fodder."

But if it's truly as this young man says, then why do they still resist?

Yet this is simply too astonishing.

The entire Modern Immortal Path has been unable to accomplish this in two thousand years, but this young man can achieve it within a few short years or even months?

"Xia... Wang... Mr. Wang..." An elderly Nascent Soul Cultivator seemed unsure of how to address Wang Qi, changing titles several times. Wang Qi saw that the speaker was Ye Tianye. He bowed slightly and said softly, "Mr. Wang is indeed incredibly gifted, hailed as an unparalleled genius and the future Carefree by the Modern Immortal Path. However, sir, you are ultimately just a Core Formation Cultivator..."

"You need to show us the confidence behind your assertion to consolidate us..."

Wang Qi glanced silently at Ye Tianye. The Elder from Luochen Sword Palace trembled, fearful, feeling almost as if facing an enraged Great Elder...

No, no, this was definitely because of the arrogance that arose from his Golden Core Stage status... This guy is far more terrifying than the Great Elder. Even the Great Elder has already capitulated, hasn't he!

This guy is far more terrifying than the Great Elder!

However, upon learning that "Xia Li" is actually a Modern Heretic, specifically sent to exterminate the Holy Emperor Venerable, and has already quietly seized control of Luochen Sword Palace, Ye Tianye's attitude was more of shock than anger, and... delight!

That Elder, in the past, took considerable care of "Xia Li," so his image must be quite favorable in that mysterious Mr. Wang's eyes...

That's why he jumped out earlier, wanting to make an impression in front of this "Mr. Wang."

At the same time, he was also representing Luochen Sword Palace in probing.

Probing Wang Qi's true attitude.

Wang Qi didn't think much of this Ancient Method Practitioner, but he still explained, "The reason why our Modern Immortal Path doesn't really study transforming Ancient Method to Modern is primarily due to... issues of benefit. This kind of research doesn't help solve any high-level theoretical problems, can't serve as a foundation for subsequent techniques, and can't bring any advantages to the Modern Immortal Path. You tell me, what's the point of studying this kind of thing?"

"However, now things are different. Your ability to cultivate into Modern Methods is significantly related to me. For me, improving my cultivation method is entirely up to you all. So... I will do my utmost to assist you. Rest assured!"

Many Ancient Method Practitioners listened and felt chill in their hearts.

So this is to use them as experimental subjects!

However, as Wang Qi said, they have no choice but to comply.

If they comply, there's still a glimmer of hope. If not, then it's certain death.

No other Modern Cultivator will ever come to Spirit Phoenix Island with an "experimental cultivation method" mindset. The next visitor will surely be a Heavenly Sword Envoy bringing destruction!

Research also has its "hotspots" and "non-hotspots." Research that gains benefits naturally receives more funding.

Take Earth, for example. There are countless incurable diseases that modern medicine cannot resolve, so why does AIDS receive far more funding annually than all other diseases combined?

Because among those countless incurable diseases, only AIDS has such a large patient population in developed countries. Developing this drug is profitable.

Even if the scientists conducting the research are entirely earnest in their endeavors, the pharmaceutical companies investing in them are definitely doing so with profit in mind.

And in a society where researchers within the Immortal Alliance wield all the power, this phenomenon hasn't diminished; in fact, it's become even more severe. However, its severity manifests in a slightly different direction. Scholars, owing to their vast knowledge of cosmic secrets, find their resources more limited. As a result, more resources are concentrated on those directions closer to the "Basic Path," with practical technology being relatively undervalued.

Here, "solving a specific plague" is far less likely to receive funding compared to "developing the characteristics of a certain type of plague."

Researching "the concrete method of transforming Ancient Method Practitioners into Modern Cultivators"? With such idle time, it's better to summarize "the technological development trajectory of the Immortal Dao during the Ancient Method period and the reasons for the emergence of the Modern Methods." You say that study succeeds, but why would we need a group of brain-damaged Ancient Method Practitioners?

This is the current state of Shenzhou.

For these Ancient Method Practitioners, Wang Qi is their only opportunity.

Seeing that the other party accepted this notion, Wang Qi cleared his throat and said, "So, as I was saying, the cultivation method you all can ultimately choose would only be my method. If you're interested in Yao Ding Calculating Scripture, Heavenly Calculation Atlas, or Heavenly Entropy Technique... I'm sorry, but it's not possible."

Everyone accepted this statement.

"I will try my best to help you convert to the Modern Cultivation Path, and in return, for the time being you will obey me..." Wang Qi looked at the high-level cultivators and tentatively asked, "So, everyone, is the transaction established now?"

Mei Sicheng kept his eyes closed and remained silent throughout. However, at this moment, he was still the representative of Luochen Sword Palace. So, he opened his mouth and said, "Established."

—In the end, Luochen Sword Palace was sold for a good price.

"Very well." Wang Qi nodded in satisfaction, then extended his arm, revealing the arm armor beneath.

"Then, everyone, witness the demise of Luochen Sword Palace."

Wang Qi inserted a mysterious Spirit Rhinoceros Bottle into the arm armor.

That was the sixth Heart Demon Great Curse Memory—Supreme Heart Demon Spell.

The Supreme Heart Demon, colorless and formless. Its coming and going are unknown, leaving no trace, unmatched in the world.

Even the Modern Immortal Path does not dare to casually use it.

A force more demonic than the Heavenly Demon descended here in an instant.

The first to be affected were the four elders of Luochen Sword Palace. As Divine Separation Stage cultivators, they actually had the qualification to somewhat resist the Heart Demon Great Curse.

But this time, they gave up on defense and allowed the Heart Demon Great Curse to penetrate all their mana, implanting into their souls.

Next were those Nascent Soul Stage disciples. They felt a chill in their bodies at the first moment. However, they also did not resist.

In fact, Nascent Soul Cultivators can only slightly slow down the erosion speed of the Heart Demon Great Curse. However, it would not be good if these cultivators went out to seek help.

Then, the formless and invisible Heart Demon Curse Power descended upon those low-level disciples through invisible and imperceptible "Karma Lines."

"Clang!" Two disciples' flying swords clashed. At the instant their mana intertwined, the Heart Demon Great Curse passed from one person to the other.

"Damn it..." a Luochen Sword Palace cultivator cursed loudly. In his curse, a flash of Heart Demon Curse Power disappeared, flooding into the surrounding people's Sea of Consciousness.

One spreads to ten, ten to a hundred.

In a short moment, all the cultivators who participated in the chaos were thoroughly permeated by the Supreme Heart Demon Spell!

Only those few cultivators hiding away temporarily escaped.

However, as long as they were still part of the Sword Palace and had interactions with the Sword Palace's Human Dao System, they would not be able to escape!

For Wang Qi now, the destructive power brought by the Heart Demon Great Curse was no longer enough. Although this was a "taboo curse" that could allow a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator to wipe out a sect guarded by a Nascent Soul stage, at Wang Qi's and the Holy Emperor Venerable's battlefield, it could only serve as "hardware."

With a stable belief channel established, information transmission was smooth, feeling like swapping a small water pipe for KB-level broadband to MB-level broadband. The Divine Plague Curse Technique silently spread along the Heart Demon Network, with every infected person becoming a part of this network.

The Tai Chu Sword God Local Area Network's capabilities suddenly became powerful.

All this was completed with the expansion of the Heart Demon Network.

Now, Wang Qi had successfully upgraded from musket to cannon. To him, the Tai Chu Sword God Array was just an ordinary server.

The main body of the entire network had already been transferred into the Heart Demon Mysterious Net.

As long as the Heart Demons were not annihilated, the Divine Plague would not be extinguished.

And to completely eradicate the Heart Demon Great Curse, every cursed person must be killed.

If the Holy Emperor Venerable discovered half a month later, he would need to kill everyone here to extinguish the Heart Demon Great Curse.

But if he did so, his painstakingly managed Divine Country for a thousand years would also collapse. Even if he managed to escape with the divine spirits he had refined, he would still be unable to complete the plans he had been scheming for thousands of years.

If delayed a bit longer, Wang Qi even had the confidence to seize his Divine Country.

The defeat of the Holy Emperor Venerable was already destined! The longer the time dragged on, the more the Holy Emperor Venerable would lose.

All of this happened quietly. Wang Qi secretly tested the performance of the new network, and those cultivators still had not realized.

This network had not yet involved their superficial consciousness and was operating in the "background."

As for this, they naturally could not detect it.

Wang Qi waved his hand and instructed those cultivators to gather the Golden Core Stage disciples and find a reason to deal with them.

After all, these cultivators had lived for hundreds or thousands of years and were not inexperienced novices. It was easy for them to fool those Golden Core Cultivators, who at most were two to three hundred years old and had never participated in any decision-making.

As a result, the efficiency of those cultivators was much higher than Wang Qi had imagined. In about half a day, they successfully handled it.

At this point, Wang Qi slowly returned to his quiet room.

Suddenly, the figure of Mi appeared in front of Wang Qi, frowning, and asked, "What exactly do you plan to do with those Ancient Method Practitioners?"