stonecrandall Chapter 1116 The world of younger men is really difficult to solve!
Chapter 1116 The world of younger men is really difficult to solve!
“The younger generation…” Gao Yao murmured to himself, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
Yes, compared to the possibilities he had worried about—a high-tech city full of hovercars, or a fantasy continent where mountains collapse and the earth splits with a wave of the hand—this world, modeled after his grandmother's, was indeed "within acceptable limits." At least, there were political rules he could understand, a military system he could assess, and the sentiments of the people he could fathom.
Gao Yao walked to the weapon rack on the west side of the secret chamber and took down the ring-pommel sword that had accompanied him in battle for many years. The blade reflected the candlelight, gleaming with a cold, sharp light.
He slowly channeled his inner energy, and the blade emitted a soft hum. By the standards of this world, his strength was roughly between the ninth rank and the peak of the ninth rank—a conclusion reached through numerous secret tests conducted by the Green Robe Society.
“Grandmaster…” Gao Yao sheathed his sword, a hint of solemnity flashing in the depths of his eyes.
He had seen descriptions of Grandmasters in intelligence files: shattering towers with a single blow, a single person capable of withstanding ten thousand troops. That transcended the realm of conventional martial arts, almost like a god walking among mortals. And the intelligent robots in the temple were said to possess combat power comparable to a Grandmaster.
"We can't touch it for now," Gao Yao made a calm judgment.
The current China—the China he had painstakingly built over decades amidst the historical gaps between the Qin and Han dynasties—was not yet capable of directly invading this world. It wasn't a lack of military strength, but rather an absolute disparity in top-tier combat power. In truly high-level warfare, a Grandmaster was enough to turn the tide of battle.
But Gao Yao never underestimated himself. Although the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill he practiced originated from another system, it endowed him with strength and speed far exceeding that of ordinary ninth-rank martial artists. This was one of his trump cards, and the source of his confidence in making his moves in this world.
According to intelligence gathered by the Green Robe Society after three months of infiltration and investigation, the current timeframe coincides with Fan Xian's arrival in the capital. The curtain is slowly rising on the plot, and various forces are about to begin their meticulously orchestrated performances.
Gao Yao had no interest in this.
What is Fan Xian investigating? The truth behind Ye Qingmei's death? The power struggle between Emperor Qing and the Eldest Princess? These mysteries, which seem thrilling to outsiders, are, in Gao Yao's eyes, merely an unfinished game where parts of the score are already visible. He observes everything from a higher perspective, like a chess player looking down at the board.
"Ye Qingmei..." Gao Yao uttered the name with a complex emotion in his voice.
It wasn't admiration, nor regret, but a cold, rational analysis. In his eyes, Ye Qingmei's tragedy was not accidental, but inevitable. A person with modern ideals attempting to sow the seeds of equality in the soil of a feudal society—this in itself was a path to certain death.
The candlelight cast Gao Yao's long shadow on the wall. He walked slowly to his desk, picked up his brush, and wrote four characters on the rice paper: "Limitations of the Times."
A world where everyone is equal? Gao Yao's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. Even in the future he arrived in, in the technologically advanced and civilized 21st century, has equality ever truly been achieved? Imperial power and nobility have merely changed their names, continuing to exist in the form of conglomerates, tycoons, and family businesses. Class has never disappeared; it has simply learned to disguise itself in a more subtle way.
“Eliminate personal emotions and make humans into cogs in a machine…” Gao Yao shook his head. “Even so, true equality cannot be achieved.”
Resources are limited, but desires are limitless—this is an iron law etched deep within human nature. Ye Qingmei's mistake was that she believed she could change the social order that had been in place for thousands of years with a few inventions ahead of their time and a few inspiring slogans.
Her more fatal mistake was that she placed her hopes on others, specifically on Emperor Qing.
Gao Yao put down his pen, his gaze becoming profound. As a time traveler who had also altered the course of history, he knew all too well the hardships and costs involved. Changing the history of the Qin and Han dynasties, promoting technological innovation, and adjusting social structures—these had exhausted almost all of his energy and wisdom. Even so, at the level of social cognition, he had only made "a tiny bit" more progress than the original history.
A radical change? That doesn't align with the theory of social evolution. Any idea that's too far ahead of its time is like a rootless duckweed, destined to be swallowed up by the tide of history.
Ye Qingmei, with her naive ideas, attempted to shake the already established feudal order. Even without Emperor Qing, and without those who participated in the assassination attempt on her, someone else would have stood up to eliminate her. Because she wasn't touching the interests of any one person, but the very foundation of an entire set of social rules.
Gao Yao didn't admire Emperor Qing's ruthlessness and scheming, but he also didn't particularly like Ye Qingmei's idealism. He understood this perfectly. Emotions could cloud judgment, and at this juncture where their two worlds were about to intersect, he needed absolutely rational planning.
Gao Yao quickly shifted his attention away from these historical assessments and focused on a more practical issue: this world possesses true qi, allowing for systematic martial arts training.
This is crucial.
In the Qin and Han dynasties, while martial arts traditions existed, they focused more on external techniques and battlefield combat skills. A martial arts civilization like the one in "Joy of Life," with its complete internal energy cultivation system and the ability to generate extraordinary effects through true qi, represented a completely new realm and a tremendous opportunity for him.
“Since you have true qi, you can refine pills to enhance it.” A glint of light flashed in Gao Yao’s eyes.
As a former chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy, well-versed in both ancient and modern medicine, Gao Yao's expertise in medicine had already reached its zenith. Combining the pharmaceutical knowledge of both worlds, he was confident in developing a elixir that could accelerate the accumulation of true qi and break through cultivation bottlenecks.
This is not only about improving individual capabilities, but also about cultivating an elite force capable of fighting across the world.
Gao Yao has ordered the secret selection of three thousand loyal, reliable, and exceptionally talented young people within China to begin training them using the basic cultivation techniques collected by the Qingyi Society from the world of "Joy of Life." Meanwhile, under his personal guidance, the seventeen most outstanding imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy are attempting to integrate the medicinal herbs and pharmacology of both worlds to develop the first generation of "Qi-Condensing Pills."
But this is not enough, far from it.
Gao Yao walked to the east side of the secret room, where a huge map of the Qing Kingdom's military deployment hung. The Qingyi Society's intelligence agents used different colored silk threads to mark the location, number of troops, and information about the commanders of each army.
Looking at this picture, Gao Yao felt a heavy weight of pressure.
The military strength of the Qing Kingdom far exceeded his initial estimates.