Advanced Cultivation Civilization

             ACC Chapter 22 A Plan

The Behemoth was vibrant and teeming with people. Livia had dragged me to this place, a casino, where people where betting away their wealth in spirit chips.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked heavily. Livia knew my preferences. I hated crowd heavy places like this.

"Don't worry, I already booked a private room." She answered, pulling me through the crowd of people whose attention was in the various games.

Every surface had been inscribed with an array that caused them to glitter with a golden shine, making the place feel as if it was prestigious. True gold was far too expensive, not to mention the fact that its spiritual equivalent was over ten times more valuable. And right now, normal gold had ceased to exist... Not just it, but every other element had been elevated to the spiritual level on planet Earth. Unless you mined an asteroid with a shell capable of repelling spiritual energy, or in a lab, it had become nonexistent.

"What are we doing here, Livia?"

"To let loose."

"I don't really like the atmosphere of this place." I spoke while walking beside her, wondering where to put my hands. I was moving my fingers in a bid to drag my attention away from the crowd.

And yet, that was failing. Many of the people here had become ensnared, from Demons to Humans. You could see it within their gazes, the reddened eyes that were intently gazing at the machines, while their soul auras fluctuated with the hope of winning, only to be disappointed.

Cards that were enchanted with arrays capable of thwarting divine sense were being dealt at tables, where many were gathered, trying to win a hand, or hedging their bets.

Of course, even among the amateurs, there were masters hiding themselves within, making sure not to stand out. They only won occasionally, and after a few times, they would get out before the establishment tried to get their money back by using arrays to subtly nudge them into placing more bets.

"This is a den of vice." Lily's disgusted voice came from beside me.

"Gambling is something within the blood of every intelligent creature. This casino is just a magnified version. After all, don't you too, have times when a decision is hard to make, causing you to take a gamble?" Livia asked from in front. Her expression was one of neutrality.

We navigated through the crowd, taking an elevator upwards, where quietness reigned. The hubbub of the lower floor had vanished, instead replaced with solemn lack of sound. Doors lined the corridor, each leading to a private room, where illicit gambling and activity were taking place, away from the public eye and scrutiny of authority.

After a few seconds, Livia stopped in front of a door, which opened without her input. Just that I had sensed a transmission through her divine sense, not connected to those within the room, but the spiritual network.

A guess was birthed within my mind at such tight security, prompting my mind to shift into seriousness.

The moment the door rippled, having turned into liquid, we walked through, only for my guess to be confirmed upon seeing the state of the room.

It was a long conference room with a white table, with many chairs surrounding it. Most were filled, but there were also others just arriving, rippling through the walls just like us.

"Hello, Mr. Taylor." I greeted the man at the head of the table, while taking note of how Lily's eyes had imperceptibly widened by a margin.

"Sorry for the inconveniencing way you were invited. But there are many eyes here." The man apologised after a nod.

"Its okay, but next time, please send someone else."

"Hmph! Reed! What do you mean by that?" Livia stomped her foot and stared me down, with arms crossed over her bountiful chest.

"Nothing." I retreated and hurriedly chose a seat, with Livia's gaze following me all the while.

She chose a seat at my right, with her gaze still on me. With a sigh, I closed my eyes and pretended to be in meditation. After all, there were still others who hadn't yet arrived.

"Miss Livia, why am I here?" Lily asked as she sat herself down on my left side.

"It would have been suspicious if I had dragged only him to the casino. Though, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut and listen. Don't interject or anything regardless of what you hear."

-----

"We fell for Ming's scheme this time. I called all of you here to discuss countermeasures. Even though these mortals are going to be allowed a tour of the Deity Maker, there is no guarantee that there are no saboteurs among them."

"Mr. President, most of us are scientists. Only those administrative cultivators are capable of finding a solution."

"Mr. Moss, only the people here know of every little thing making up the machine. Can't any of you come up with a way that could force people away without making them even more scared?"

"Mr. Taylor, there is only one way. And that would be for you to attempt a breakthrough at the time of arrival."

That was a good thought, but would it work, or could it incite even more chaos.

"What if you start your breakthrough without notifying anyone? We could have you snuck out of the Behemoth on a smaller vessel." Someone suggested with glinting eyes.

"We have managed to get in touch with an alien civilisation countless lightyears away, the Demon Emperor is also about to attempt his breakthrough, and most of all, there are rumors that the Demons have already managed to create a warp capable vessel. Mere public opinion shouldn't stall the President's breakthrough. We are on the brink of a crisis." Livia's words silenced even those who had been in the fence, causing them to ponder deeply.

"She's right, Mr. President. Right now, we need a Deity Transformation stage powerhouse more than ever. Those Demons, with their war-mongering ways, might try to start something if we show weakness." I supported.

-----

After that discussion, the President had boarded a small craft with a few of the others, who were really needed to operate the Deity Maker.

I was now back in my cabin, with my chin resting upon my palm as my gaze looked out of the window and into the stars.

We were about to become a Level 1 civilisation on the Kardeshev scale. Of course all this was relying on whether the President could break through. And we were all sure that he would. He was the greatest monstrous genius this world had ever produced. And according to him, he had already completed the condition needed to break through, which was to have 5 deity arts imprinted upon his nascent soul.

"Do you think that he will be possessed by Devils?" Lily asked. She was within my room. A few minutes had passed since our return, and all that time had been spent with each of us within our own respective minds.

"There is a possibility. Though, none of us even know what could even serve as a test for his heart."

"Yeah. I have never seen him lose his composure ever since he ascended onto the driving seat of the Federation." Spoke Lily. Though her words rang hollow, as if the majority of her mind was somewhere else.

Though, even I had my thoughts focused on viewing the tribulation. We had agreed to have the breakthrough happen when the Behemoth reached a certain range, thereby allowing everyone on board to witness the historical moment.

And I was excited. I wanted to see what happens when a breakthrough is attempted in space. All breakthroughs, including mine had happened on Earth, where clouds filled with lightning would fill the sky, striking down with the fury of the Heavens themselves.

Which is why I was eager to see this. How will the tribulation come about when the breakthrough happens in space?

"Lily, you should go back to your room and prepare yourself to watch this historical moment. You might even glean unique insights that might loosen your bottleneck."

With a small nod in acknowledgement, Lily went away, leaving me to my thoughts.

Humanity was about to gain its first Deity Transformation powerhouse. According to calculations and simulations run by quantum AIs, a planet, no matter how dense with spiritual energy, couldn't support that level of cultivator unless an array was made to converge all spiritual energy towards the person breaking through.

A cultivator within the Core Formation didn't need to rely on any pills or external aids like spiritual stones and absorption of spiritual energy to cultivate. The reason was because the cores themselves were birthing spiritual energy through fission reactions.

Of course, that was only in the scenario where a cultivator didn't expend their spiritual energy. That's why pills, arrays and treasures that could increase the speed or scope of the fission reaction, came in. They increased the core's energy output such that even when some was expended in battle or other tasks, the reserves would still continuously rise.

When breaking through to the Nascent Soul, or Deity Transformation stages, a bombardment of pure spiritual energy was needed, such that pressure could be applied to your core, causing it to instinctively evolve, in order to cope with the increase in pressure. The successful evolution is what leads to a cultivator reaching the higher realm.

Of course, there was some difference with reaching the Deity Transformation realm.