Undying Life

Chapter 172: Chapter 172 The second plan, three people become a tiger

The day Zhongshan received the official seal of the fifth rank, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief throughout his body. It was a peculiar sensation, as if his body possessed an inexhaustible strength, a feeling that he could break through in his cultivation at any moment.

Zhongshan knew it was the Qi fortune. With the establishment of the Great Gou Kingdom, the Qi fortune enveloped him, washing away his karmic obstacles. However, that was a gradual process, accumulating little by little, making the sensation less obvious. But with the confirmation of his fifth-rank official position in the Heavenly Dynasty, Zhongshan felt it instantly.

Although he hadn't reached the soft body stage, having such a vast Qi fortune enveloping him, along with the Qi fortune from the Great Gou Kingdom, Zhongshan could feel that his cultivation speed was now twice as fast as before. It saved him a lot of time. However, Zhongshan didn't relax; despite his speed doubling, it was still only twice his original speed. Given his inferior innate aptitude, his cultivation was slow, even with this increase, he had only reached the speed of an average person with average innate aptitude.

But the fact that he could increase it was still satisfying for Zhongshan. He never skipped a day of practice, focusing solely on his cultivation and occasionally thinking about the election for the Lord of Wushuang City.

Zhongshan's fervent cultivation seemed to infect Princess Qian You. She had never disturbed him, quietly waiting for Zhongshan.

After several attempts at slicing through the water, Zhongshan seemed to finally find the elusive weak point. He infused his true energy into the blade, and a huge blade energy was unleashed. With one slow stroke, he aimed towards the center of the pond.

Beside him, Water Tianya finally saw Zhongshan make a real move. Before, it was like a child pulling a radish; now Zhongshan was genuinely using his true energy to slice through the pond. But what was the use of cutting the pond with a knife?

As the blade descended, at the moment it touched the water, the water parted rapidly in a bizarre manner. It was as if an endless gale blew through, sweeping in all directions from the blade.

However, there was no trace of Qi underneath the blade, only blade energy. Zhongshan hadn't released any Qi, just the most basic blade energy. As the blade descended, the invisible force beneath it grew stronger and stronger. Suddenly, the water on both sides of the blade churned like towering waves, madly rushing towards the banks.

"Whoosh!"

The banks were seemingly washed away by the torrential flow, as endless waves crashed ashore, even toppling some large trees. Yet, in the middle of the pond, all the water was mysteriously forced apart by Zhongshan's single stroke. The entire pond was emptied in an instant, only to flow back again as the water from the banks rushed in.

This single stroke seemed to condense all of Zhongshan's mental and true energy. After the stroke, Zhongshan stood in the empty pond, panting with exhaustion, but a smile of excitement spread across his face.

At the moment Zhongshan made the stroke, Princess Qian You suddenly stood up, her eyes widening in astonishment. On the other side, the three men also looked incredulous.

"Triple Wave-Cutting Blade!" Princess Qian You exclaimed in amazement.

"No, it's not that set of blade techniques. The Triple Wave-Cutting Blade requires the strength of the Nascent Soul stage to be executed and has much greater power. The technique is also different. What... what kind of blade technique is this?" Princess Qian You immediately overturned her previous conclusion.

The other three also looked on in amazement.

As soon as Princess Qian You exclaimed, Zhongshan turned to look. He had been so focused on creating this technique that he hadn't even noticed her arrival.

Lightly jumping onto the shore, he activated his true energy, and his clothes instantly dried.

"Princess," Zhongshan said.

"Sir, what kind of blade technique was that just now? Why couldn't I recognize it? And it seems to be a technique that can only be executed by someone in the Nascent Soul stage?" Princess Qian You asked in astonishment.

Looking at Princess Qian You, Zhongshan realized that she could instantly discern his cultivation level, indicating that Princess Qian You was at least in the Harmony Stage. As for the blade technique just now, it was his own creation - the technique of breaking the patterns. The first layer broke the patterns of wood, the second layer broke the patterns of stone, and the third layer broke the invisible patterns of water.

Although Zhongshan served under Princess Qian You, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal everything.

"That was taught to me by a remarkable individual. Please forgive my lack of skill," Zhongshan casually replied.

Hearing Zhongshan's response, Princess Qian You could tell that he was being evasive. Since Zhongshan didn't want to elaborate, she didn't press further.

"Sir, we are about to start setting up voting booths in major commercial areas. The voting will begin shortly and last for ten months," Princess Qian You said.

"Do you have the map?" Zhongshan asked.

"Adai," Princess Qian You called.

Adai quickly took out a white jade platform and placed it flat. With a slight activation, a projection of the entire Wushuang City appeared. However, some areas were covered by red or blue screens, making them invisible on the map. Additionally, the projection was rudimentary.

"Water Tianya, please explain the voting process to Sir," Princess Qian You said.

"Yes," Water Tianya immediately replied, stepping forward.

"There are seventy-two commercial areas in the city, each with ten squares where voting booths are set up. The booths are shaped like gourds, with two connected platforms, one red and one blue. Red represents me, and blue represents Mo Bairi. Each person has one voting opportunity. They just need to stamp their chosen platform with their private seal, and the vote is cast. This is a type of named artifact. Once a vote is cast, it becomes invalid for a second time. Every day, the number of votes will be projected onto two large jade discs in the city, one in the north and one in the south. In the end, we will see who has the most votes," Water Tianya explained.

"Is it this kind of seal?" Zhongshan took out his official seal, which was as large as a brick.

"Yes, everyone in the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty has one. Because they are made very uniquely, they cannot be forged. Moreover, due to the internal formation, each person's private seal can be recognized by special items from the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty," Water Tianya said.

Looking at the large seal in his hand, Zhongshan felt a sense of wonder. How was this seal made? With such a seal, wouldn't it be like having an identity card on Earth? Not only could it distinguish citizens, but it could also consolidate the cohesion of the people. It was indeed a good thing. Zhongshan vowed to find a way to obtain this technology in the future.

"Now, how effective is our current propaganda?" Zhongshan asked Water Tianya.

Upon hearing Zhongshan's question, Water Tianya's face revealed a trace of worry. Seeing Water Tianya's expression, Zhongshan's expression tightened, and his brow furrowed.

"Sir, at first, your method was somewhat effective. Some people chose to believe it. But my people were promoting the 'war crisis,' while Mo Bairi's people were promoting the 'era of peace.' Gradually, the public tended to favor them. Even those who originally believed in us gradually lost trust. Moreover, there are complaints in the southern part of the city that my management is too strict and causing inconvenience," Water Tianya shook his head and sighed.

Princess Qian You, on the other hand, just sipped her tea, saying nothing. She watched quietly, a faint smile on her face, as if waiting for Zhongshan to come up with a solution.

Since witnessing Zhongshan's intelligence, Princess Qian You had increasingly high expectations of him. So much so that she didn't even plan to intervene in the election for Wushuang City anymore. She didn't stop thinking because she couldn't come up with a solution, but because she didn't intend to. She just wanted to watch and see how Zhongshan would plan this election. It was like giving Zhongshan a test to see just how capable he was. As for the gains and losses of Wushuang City, they didn't matter much to Princess Qian You. Even if Zhongshan succeeded, it would only mean one city under the rule of the First Prince, which paled in comparison to gaining a talented individual.

After listening to Water Tianya's words, Zhongshan was momentarily stunned, then speechless. How did Water Tianya end up in this position? What kind of methods was he using?

"Lord Water, are your propagandists staying in one place each day?" Zhongshan asked.

"Yes, they each stay in a different location every day to spread the message for me," Water Tianya replied.

Seeing Water Tianya's satisfied attitude, Zhongshan was at a loss for words. He glanced at Princess Qian You, who gave him a look that seemed to say, "It's up to you."

Frowning at Princess Qian You, Zhongshan could guess her intentions. With a slight sigh, he decided to consider it as repaying the debt for experiencing the Eight-Gate Gold Lock Formation.

"Lord Water, what you're doing is propaganda, it's undercover work. How can you let those people stay in one place? Over time, people become immune to them. If they keep repeating the same thing every day, who will bother to listen attentively? You need to make them mobile. Each person should change locations two to three times a day. Over the next three hundred days or so, you should make sure each person covers all the propaganda points. Let the locals see different people talking about the 'war crisis' every day. If they see three people a day, they'll see thirty people in ten days. Eventually, they'll see hundreds of people talking about the 'war crisis.' Even if they don't believe it, their minds will waver. Have you heard the story of 'Three People Make a Tiger'?" Zhongshan said, exasperated.

Hearing Zhongshan's words, Water Tianya blushed, realizing his previous oversight.

"And, I've noticed something off about you, Lord Water," Zhongshan continued.

"Oh? What's wrong?" Princess Qian You asked curiously.

"Lord Water, if you don't believe in the war crisis yourself, how can you expect your propagandists to confidently spread the message? Your demeanor affects their morale. If you don't believe it, how can they? Firstly, you need to adjust your own mindset and fully believe it. Only then can you portray an image that inspires confidence in your propagandists, allowing them to better spread the message. Moreover, before they go out to spread the message each day, they must gather together first. Give each of them a refresher on the 'war crisis' to reinforce their beliefs before they go out," Zhongshan explained. These were all techniques he had mastered during his time in multi-level marketing, his area of expertise.

"Reinforce their beliefs?" Water Tianya looked at Zhongshan with confusion.

"Yes, it means constantly instilling the idea of the 'war crisis' into their minds every day before they go out, making them feel anxious and concerned. Only then can they spread the message effectively," Zhongshan said.

"Will this make a big difference in effectiveness?" Water Tianya asked.

"Of course. If you don't believe it yourself, how can you convince others? When propagating, you must be confident and assertive. It's a must, an absolute must," Zhongshan said solemnly.