CHAPTER 961: CHAPTER 82: DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE CULTIVATION WORLD (PART 2)

"You brat, you’re already the Sect Leader, yet you still don’t pay attention to your image."

Pei Laoliu chuckled and cursed, sliding over to make room for him to sit down.

"Haha, when I’m with Master Liu, I’m still your junior. How could I put on airs with an elder?"

Zhang Xiaoman said as he took out a bag of salted goose from his storage ring.

"Master Liu, see what I brought for you? It’s the old goose from that shop on Meihua Road. I went over specially to get it for you."

Pei Laoliu’s eyes lit up, eagerly taking the goose, inhaling the aroma deeply, his face full of delight.

"You brat, at least you still have a bit of conscience, didn’t forget my greatest hobby..."

He said as he poured the goose onto an empty plate, inviting others to enjoy it together.

"You all should try it, this is the salted goose I often mention to you, only their family makes the most authentic, definitely a mortal delicacy."

The few people nodded somewhat restrainedly, yet none of them picked up their chopsticks.

Seeing Zhang Xiaoman arrive made them unconsciously tense up inside.

Even though Zhang Xiaoman had completely restrained his aura as an Awakener, they had learned a few things from Pei Laoliu during the past few days.

Whether they could cultivate smoothly depended entirely on this man in front of them, as he was the Sect Leader of the Taiyi Sect, and ultimately required his approval.

Zhang Xiaoman knew that his presence made them uneasy, so he quickly finished his meal and moved aside.

He didn’t want it to be this way either.

Just like in the Star Alliance, whenever he appeared in front of ordinary members, they would inevitably become cautious and nervous.

Xiao Shun and others from the Light Blue Clan were better since they had known each other for a long time.

The Star Alliance was established under their witness, and as veteran members, they naturally felt less pressure.

But for those newly joined in the organization, he was a Star Lord, the leader of the entire Extraordinary Organization, possessing terrifying power.

He was worlds apart from them.

It was only natural that these people couldn’t relax in front of Zhang Xiaoman.

Even the newly Awakened Enlightenment Realm Dark Spirits were still incredibly tense when they saw him.

Zhang Xiaoman was no longer the novice he once was; he had long adapted to these circumstances.

Though he did somewhat miss the carefree times of making friends.

But now, being in a different position naturally came with a different lifestyle.

At this moment, he was observing the big black and Little White in front of him in the courtyard.

Previously busy with uncovering cultivator secrets, he hadn’t had the chance to observe these dog and fox carefully.

Placing his hands on their heads, feeling the Dark Energy Fluctuation within them.

Sure enough, similar to the big black bear he met at the foot of Tianyuan Mountain before, they had become self-awakened Spiritual Beasts, or one could call them Dark Spirits.

The topic of self-awakening was something he was particularly concerned about presently.

This world, rich in Spiritual Energy, might increase the probability of animals self-awakening; he wasn’t sure how things stood on Water Blue Star.

If there were also massive self-awakening events there, their plans with the Abnormality Department would need further updating.

Facing Zhang Xiaoman’s inquiry, the dog and fox appeared anxious.

Big black was alright, occasionally licking his palm to show affection.

Having seen Zhang Xiaoman often before, they were already familiar.

The current nervousness was only a reflex upon feeling the potent Dark Energy Fluctuation from him.

As for the Fox Demon Little White, it was much worse.

The entire fox lay on the ground, stiff, not daring to move, letting Zhang Xiaoman stroke its head.

"Jiu Jiu!"

A whirl of energy throbbed beside him, and Jiu Jiu suddenly appeared by his side.

The little creature, unable to stand solitude, had run over from the Tianyuan Sect.

Upon seeing Little White, its eyes lit up with excitement.

It rushed over, rubbing against the other’s head, seemingly very fond of it.

Little White also seemed fond of it, though still a bit scared, it showed a certain degree of affection.

Zhang Xiaoman mused that it might be because both were foxes.

Though strictly speaking, Jiu Jiu was a Star Spirit; why they could get along was a mystery.

This little thing could play with anyone it met.

As Zhang Xiaoman had expected, even Big Black couldn’t escape Jiu Jiu’s grasp, being playfully petted on the head, ultimately submitting as Jiu Jiu’s follower.

Thus, Jiu Jiu gained two new followers, marking its little team in this world.

Zhang Xiaoman stopped paying attention to the little ones’ antics and, seeing that Master Liu had finished eating, explained his findings to him.

"Xiao Man, do you mean there truly exists a method for cultivation here?"

Master Liu, unable to contain his excitement, asked:

"The real Immortal Magic? Spiritual Energy, Spirit Stones, Magic Treasures?"

Zhang Xiaoman nodded, then shook his head.

"You could say that, but it’s not entirely like that..."

"What do you mean?"

"In truth, so-called cultivators are akin to our Awakeners, differing mostly in terminology..."

He immediately explained their relationship to Master Liu and recounted some of his experiences at the Tianyuan Sect.

Master Liu couldn’t help showing a bit of disappointment, but quickly recovered, saying:

"Seems like Old Man Ye Cang was right; all methods converge, and essentially, they share the same origin. Pursuing the path of Dark Energy is also pursuing the path of cultivation. I’ve been too fixated."

Seeing him relieved, Zhang Xiaoman didn’t dwell on the topic but said:

"Master Liu, since the secret of cultivation has now been unlocked, and we have a new method to become Transcendents, I’m planning to apply it on Water Blue Star to enhance our overall strength."

"But before that, I need you to try it out in this world first, using the Tianyuan Sect as a base to host an Immortal Fate Conference, openly recruiting disciples with Spirit Root potential and guiding them on the path of cultivation..."

Master Liu was surprised by this, looking at him and asking:

"Xiao Man, are you saying you want to make the method of cultivation public? To restore this world to how it was 300 years ago?"

Zhang Xiaoman nodded, saying:

"More or less, but it wouldn’t be a public revelation. We only recruit disciples who meet our standards. Cultivators will reappear, but will still be few in number; not everyone can walk the Immortal Path."

"After all, though this method allows one to become a Transcendent without the Enlightenment Array, it also has its downside: one must have a Spirit Root to walk the Immortal Path."

"And even a hundred years ago, those with Spirit Roots were rare. Now that the last-law disaster has passed, it seems likely that even fewer people will regain Spirit Roots..."

He explained his future plans to Pei Laoliu.

Due to the presence of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Soul Locking Array, Zhang Xiaoman couldn’t easily summon personnel from the Star Alliance, so this task would be entrusted to Pei Laoliu.

Fortunately, Master Liu was keenly interested, even more so than Zhang Xiaoman regarding cultivation, and he took on the task eagerly.

Zhang Xiaoman trusted Master Liu’s character, naturally feeling assured with him.

Moreover, it won’t be long until he can redeem the World Tree Clone, and the Star Alliance can fully establish a presence in this world.

Looking at Li Qiang and the others busy collecting dishes in the distance, he decided not to delay any longer and planned to take them back to the Tianyuan Sect soon.

Since these people wished to pursue the Immortal Path, he intended to give them this opportunity.