Chapter 28: The Mobile Video Communicator

"Very well, since that's the case, I agree. But could your friends perhaps stay a few more years here?" the King of Ming said.

"What? Someone is really scheming in the shadows, trying to assassinate you?" Tang Yi immediately guessed what was happening. Although Hua Shaojie and the others were in seclusion, they were secretly protecting the King of Ming. This was Tang Yi's precautionary arrangement, and he hadn't expected it to become necessary.

"Brother Tang, to be honest, if not for your arrangements, I might have died three or five times already. I've also discovered that these incidents aren't caused by Prince Yu or Prince Geng, but by others who are trying to benefit from the struggle for the crown prince's position," the King of Ming affirmed.

"That's true. Now, you're the most likely to succeed the throne. If they succeed in assassinating you, they remove their greatest obstacle. If they fail, most people will think Prince Yu or Prince Geng was behind it, and they can use your hand to eliminate one of them. Either way, it's all to their advantage," Tang Yi agreed.

"So, Brother Tang, you must help me with this. You wouldn't just stand by and watch, would you?" the King of Ming said.

"Do you think I'm that kind of person? Alright, I'll discuss it with everyone," Tang Yi said seriously.

...

That evening, at the Tang Group headquarters meeting.

"What? Two people need to stay here until the day the King of Ming is officially crowned as crown prince?" Zhang Qiang was the first to shout.

"Exactly, that's how it is. Discuss among yourselves. After all, this place is one of the Tang Group's foundations. It needs to be well guarded. As for me, I must return to the Cultivation Realm to expand our group's business. I certainly can't stay, and Ruoxue will definitely go with me. So we'll have to choose from among the eight of you," Tang Yi explained.

"Hmph! Selfish!" Liu Yuefeng remarked.

"Haha, you're not selfish at all, you're the most generous. It's decided, you'll be the one," Tang Yi laughed.

"You!" Liu Yuefeng was speechless with anger.

"Anyone else generous enough to step forward? Let's not waste everyone's time," Tang Yi swept his gaze across the group.

"I will!" someone called out immediately. Guo Ziping stood up directly.

"Oh..." the others exclaimed in delight.

"Alright, it's settled then. The two staying are Liu Yuefeng and Guo Ziping. But don't celebrate too soon—the Cultivation Realm will keep you busy," Tang Yi reminded. "And once the communication system in the Cultivation Realm is set up, the mundane world and Cultivation Realm will be able to communicate with each other."

A few days later, Tang Yi and his companions prepared to return to the Cultivation Realm. Liu Yuefeng and Guo Ziping moved into the King of Ming's residence to secretly safeguard his life.

"Tang, where are we heading now?" Zhang Qiang asked, chewing on some food.

"We'll go to Divine Sword Sect first, then contact all the major sects. To establish our group in the Cultivation Realm, we need their support," Tang Yi explained.

"By the way, Mingde, you're most familiar with the Cultivation Realm. Tell me, which marketplace is the largest there?" Tang Yi asked Liu Mingde.

"Well, Tang, do you mean the largest by area, the greatest flow of people, or the most popular?" Liu Mingde countered.

"Is there a difference? Explain all the distinctions to me," Tang Yi said, puzzled.

"Of course there's a difference. The biggest marketplace is within Divine Sword Sect's territory, at Changguan Peak of Divine Sword Mountain. The highest flow of people is at Moon City on the moon—you've been there, right? The most popular is the annual Cultivation Trade Convention, which is held at various large sects. This year, it's at Qingcheng Sect," Liu Mingde explained eloquently.

"Oh? When is the Cultivation Trade Convention held, and how long does it last?" Tang Yi asked with interest.

"It's held at the end of the year, usually about five days, sometimes longer if there are more goods. I think this year it'll be extended," Liu Mingde replied.

"Why is that?" Tang Yi asked curiously.

"This year was the Ten-Year War—we won, didn't we? That means plenty of spoils, especially cultivation items and materials from the Pegasus Galaxy, which are highly sought after here. So I bet this trade convention will be extended. There might also be a new trade fair added during the Talent Selection event, since this year, the trade fair during the selection was unexpectedly successful," Liu Mingde explained.

"I see. So, with over two months until the Trade Convention, I’ve decided our group must showcase its products there. For now, let's hurry onward, and we also need to set up a communication center first," Tang Yi resolved.

Half a month later, at Divine Sword Peak of Divine Sword Sect—

In the main hall, Tang Yi and Lu Changsheng were chatting.

"Fellow Taoist Tang, it’s been a while! How have you been lately?" Lu Changsheng said politely.

"Very well, thank you for your concern, Elder Lu. Let’s get to business—I’m here to ask a favor. I’d like you to invite the heads of the major sects for a meeting; I need your strong support for a few matters," Tang Yi said.

"Oh? What matters require the support of the entire Cultivation Realm? Can you give me a hint?" Lu Changsheng asked, intrigued.

"Of course. Sooner or later, everyone will know. The first is to establish a group, and then to create a communications company in the Cultivation Realm. Communication here is far too cumbersome. Elder Lu, you’ve heard about modern communications, right? The other matter is what we discussed before—I’ll choose a location to open a Rapid Cultivation Academy, called Speed Cultivation Institute, to raise the overall level of the Cultivation Realm. Naturally, there will be tuition fees, and quite high ones," Tang Yi said.

"Oh, that's a good thing! Charging tuition is expected, and if it accelerates cultivation, it’s well worth the price," Lu Changsheng affirmed. "I'll contact them right away. Come with me!"

"Wait, no need to trouble yourself. Due to time constraints, I’ve already created an upgraded, portable version of the Voice Transmission Array before coming here." With that, Tang Yi took out a device from his ring resembling a laptop, opening its lid. There was a display screen above and four rows of keys below.

"The original Voice Transmission Array worked on point-to-point transmission. Though it had multi-point capabilities, it was still inconvenient, since adding a transmission point required the person to add it themselves. If they didn’t, you couldn’t contact them. It also had to be fixed in place—moving it meant recalibrating. I aimed to solve these issues. This device, I call the Mobile Video Communicator," Tang Yi said as he powered it on. "Because of the time crunch, I made six of these, and Hua Shaojie, Liu Mingde, and others delivered them to the five major sects. See this? It's a communication number card, and each device has one." Tang Yi showed Lu Changsheng the card on the side of the communicator, then slipped it back in.

"Now, let me show you the most crucial feature. But we must go outside to the main square—it's too cramped in here," Tang Yi said, heading out to the grand square.

The square was vast, a perfect square with sides twenty meters long. Tang Yi glanced around and thought, "Good thing I designed it small; otherwise, even this square wouldn’t be big enough."

"Elder Lu, please have everyone stop their practice on the square. The device is rather large."

"No problem!" Elder Lu dispersed the practitioners from the square. Suddenly, the sky seemed to darken, for a large object was floating in Tang Yi's hand.