Back at school, the classroom of Grade 11 (Class 7) was especially lively today.

New Year's Day is just a few days away, and everyone was discussing the arrangements for the New Year's Eve party.

"Hey, hey, have you heard? The Ice Fairy might perform on stage!"

"Just thinking about it is exciting!"

Xu Yuebing's popularity at Linjiang First High School was as high as ever, and any news about her could keep the boys talking enthusiastically for quite a while.

Ye Qingzhou had just sat down when Xiao Yuanyuan, the class's art committee member, approached him gracefully with a form in hand, softly saying, "Ye Qingzhou, do you want to perform at the New Year's Eve party?"

Ye Qingzhou unceremoniously pushed Huang Liwen forward to take the blame: "Brother Wen is way more talented than me; he should perform on stage, guaranteed to wow the entire crowd."

Huang Liwen, who was engrossed in copying homework, didn't say a word, just raised a middle finger at Ye Qingzhou in a friendly gesture.

Seeing this, Xiao Yuanyuan immediately clung to Ye Qingzhou's arm and began to act coquettishly: "Please help us out? You're the most impressive in our class; what if other classes outshine us because you didn't perform?"

With Xiao Yuanyuan pressing against him like this, Ye Qingzhou's Sword Heart could already sense the growing hostility from the surrounding boys.

If their hostility level got too high and triggered the Heart Sword Secret Technique's "Intent Precedes Action" counter mechanism, things could get out of hand.

Ye Qingzhou felt a bit exhausted: without me, this class would fall apart.

In the end, he agreed to Xiao Yuanyuan's request.

During the last two PE classes in the morning, Ye Qingzhou was scrolling through his phone and stumbled upon some explosive news: one of the Western Pole Kingdom's two Emperor's Electors, King Dong, had once again encountered an assassination attempt.

The assailant was an unemployed person wielding a powerful magical artifact, reportedly closely associated with the Donkey Sect, one of the Two Sects of the Western Pole, while King Dong is the current Sect Master of the Elephant Sect.

The conflict between these two super sects was becoming increasingly heated.

"The Western Pole Kingdom is getting more and more chaotic. The dispute between the Donkey and Elephant Sects has reached the point where it almost leads to armed conflict."

Ye Qingzhou shook his head and sighed; over the years, the national strength of the Dongji Kingdom had been on a steady rise, whereas the Western Pole Kingdom's fortune was rapidly declining, resembling the concept of the conservation of luck.

When some people are fortunate, others would be unfortunate.

Huang Liwen leaned over to glance at Ye Qingzhou's phone screen and exclaimed in surprise, "You're concerned about the Western Pole's election too?"

"Yeah, the original contest between King Dong and Sleeping King has unexpectedly shifted to King Dong vs. King Ha. Who knows who will come out on top in the end?"

Ye Qingzhou's interest in the election was mainly because the cultivation techniques of the Western Pole Kingdom's Emperor's Electors were quite unique.

Martial Artists there often favored the religious path, with mastery over the Power of Thought Ability and a great emphasis on harnessing faith power.

For instance, the election in the Western Pole Kingdom was less about 'electing' and more about being 'fought' for with real weapons.

The Emperor's Electors participating in the election would gain public opinion support based on their approval ratings, quickly making them strong, essentially turning them into Human-Shaped Dao-Bearing Artifacts.

Compared to the Martial Artists of the Dongji Kingdom who have to diligently practice, the experts 'elected' on the Congress Hill of the Western Pole Kingdom could rise in rank with minimal effort, as long as they gave speeches everywhere and engaged in televised debates and verbal spats with opponents. Their prowess could improve rapidly, as if they were riding a rocket.

However, power that is easily obtained is also easily lost. Once they lose public support, their cultivation would instantly collapse, reverting their status at lightning speed.

Moreover, before officially ascending to the throne, being an Emperor's Elector is a very vulnerable time when they could easily be assassinated.

In fact, even ascending to the throne isn't entirely safe.

After all, the most formidable force in the Western Pole Kingdom has never been the more overtly visible Two Sects of the Donkey and Elephant, but rather the Blood-Colored Sanctuary clan, known literally as the "Chosen of the Blood God."

Though they refer to themselves as the "Sanctuary," others call them the "Asuras."

In the Western Pole Kingdom, you might get away with insulting the Emperor, but if you dare to speak ill of the Holy Descendants of the Blood-Colored Sanctuary, you'd better be prepared to 'commit suicide' with eight bullets to the back.

"The Western Pole's 'election' should be called Thought Ability Martial Dao, right? It seems the Spiritual Martial Technique over there is quite unique, and much more widespread than in the Dongji Kingdom."

Ye Qingzhou contemplated: "But there must be significant hazards to Thought Ability Martial Dao. The Dongji Kingdom's history also records a similar technique called the Emperor's Martial Arts, capable of bearing the hearts of all people and wielding the Power of Thought Ability to become unsurpassed experts. But such practices have long been abandoned. Evidently, the top brass in the Dongji Kingdom is aware of the massive flaws in Thought Ability Martial Dao."

After pondering for a bit, Ye Qingzhou pinpointed the issue: "It's the internet!"

He suddenly realized: "In ancient Dongji Kingdom, the authorities controlled the channels of communication, which enabled the creation of exclusive Emperor's Martial Arts to suppress disloyal subjects. But the advent of the internet has disrupted the traditional model of communication, making Thought Ability Martial Techniques prone to rampant out-of-control situations."

This is actually easy to understand. In ancient times, spreading one's ideology and gaining public endorsement was extremely difficult for individuals—most simply couldn't achieve it.

But in today's society, the vast reach of the internet allows all sorts of charlatans to promote themselves, gathering support in the process.

And ironically, many clueless fools are especially susceptible to being deceived, easily riled up and charging blindly into chaos when their heads get hot.

Once manipulated by those with ulterior motives, the Thought Ability residing in these fools could potentially be converted into Refining Spirit Cultivation for ambitious individuals, providing them a means to rise rapidly.

Particularly, external adversaries like the Western Pole Kingdom love to engage in cognitive warfare, aimed at disrupting the stability and harmony of the Dongji Kingdom. Thus, knowledge related to the Power of Thought Ability is strictly controlled within the Dongji Kingdom.

Ultimately, it is to protect ordinary citizens.

"It seems the Power of Thought Ability is even more formidable than I imagined."

Ye Qingzhou fell into deep contemplation, with a vague premonition that the breakthrough to Second Gear might be tied to this Power of Thought Ability.

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