24. The Great War [Modern Warship in a Cultivation World]

“The Whole of the Mortal Realm is in a state of war,” Lu Mingfe stated, his voice losing its instructive tone and hardening with a bitterness that was clearly personal. The meeting room listened, captivated.

“We call this the Great War,” he continued, his jaw tight. “It began not with a whisper of conflict, but with a scream at a wedding.”

He leaned forward, his eyes glinting with a fervor that hadn't been there before. “Three decades ago, the world was divided, but there were lines of communication. Friction, yes, between those who walked the orthodox path and those who sought power through the unorthodox, but there was also exchange. Even marriage.”

“A grand wedding was arranged,” he explained, the words tasting like ash. “Between the Young Master of the Tian Dynasty, the pinnacle of orthodoxy from the central continent, and the Young Mistress of the Blood Claw Sect, a rising star of the unorthodox methods from the east. It was meant to be a bridge.”

A bitter, humorless smile touched his lips. “At the feast, a philosophical debate began. The Tian Young Master spoke of the orthodox path: that the Law of Heavenly Principles of Functionality was the true path. That the human will was a chaotic disease to be purified, that one must temper the self to harmonize with the universe's grand, predestined design.”

Lu Mingfe’s voice took on a sharper, almost defensive edge. “The Blood Claw Young Mistress, Cheon Ma, countered him. She declared that the true meaning of life was to overcome predestined fate. That the Heavenly Principles were not a path to follow, but a cage to be broken. That true immortality was the ultimate freedom from the universe's control, and human will was the only tool powerful enough to achieve it.”

Officer Nolan translated, his own usually calm voice straining to convey the rising passion and doctrinal schism.

“The debate turned into a shouting match,” Lu Mingfe said, his fists clenching unconsciously on the table. “The shouting match into a challenge. And the challenge... into a duel. What started between two people pulled in their families, their guards, their allies. The Tian Imperial Family against the Blood Claw Sect. The wedding became a battlefield.”

He looked around the room, ensuring they understood the magnitude of what came next. “And in the midst of that carnage, something happened that had only existed in legends. The pressure, the life-or-death struggle, the clash of absolute opposing ideals... it forged them. Both the Young Master and Young Mistress broke through the theoretical limit of the Seventh Circle. In the heart of that battle, they Ascended. They became Immortals.”

A collective, sharp intake of breath echoed in the CIC. Pax’s eyes were wide, his reporter's mind reeling at the implication. They became gods at a wedding fight.

“But their Ascension did not bring peace,” Lu Mingfe’s voice dropped to a haunted whisper. “It amplified the violence a thousandfold. In their new, terrible power, they fought on. And in the end... Cheon Ma won. She struck down the Tian Young Master and proclaimed herself the Demonic Supreme, the living proof that her unorthodox path was the only truth.”

“The war ignited instantly,” he stated flatly. “Alliances that had been simmering for generations erupted. The central continent dynasties rallied behind the grieving Emperor Jiang Tian, the father of the slain young master. The eastern sects hailed Cheon Ma as their savior. By the time I was born, the war was the only world I have ever known.”

He pointed a finger at the map, jabbing at the channel separating the two major landmasses of Central and East. “And the map you see? This was not always so. A decade into the war, the grief and rage of the Emperor Jiang Tian reached its zenith. He had Ascended in his son's name, in the raw moment of his godhood, he acted. He struck the land with his sword, not at a person, but at the world itself. but the backlash from violating Heavenly Principles of Functionality has left him unable to ascend, recovering in his palace for decades, able to make only rare appearances.”

Lu Mingfe’s voice was filled with a kind of terrified awe. “He split the continents. He carved this sea to separate his orthodox Murim Alliance in the central continent from the heretical Absolution Alliance in the east, who hail the Demonic Supreme. He literally broke the world out of spite and sorrow.”

He finally looked directly at Pax, his voice now clear and undeniable. “So you see, Reporter Pax. You ask about the existence of Immortals? Look at the broken geography of our world. We live in the aftermath of their grief and their ideology. The battle you stumbled into, the one that killed my comrades, is a great war.”

The silence that followed was heavier than any before.

“Ahm.” Imogen cleared her throat. “Thank you for your input, Lu Mingfe. Even though we have decided to let you join us as crew, your rank would still be below clearance for the next part of this strategic meeting. If you don’t mind, you can return to your assigned quarters.”

Officer Nolan translated the dismissal. Lu Mingfe bowed deeply, then, with an understanding nod, left the room.

“I am sorry, but can you also go and keep an eye on him?” Pax asked Jessica, he knew a reporter’s instinct demands coverage but his tactical mind saw the necessity. Jessica nodded silently, gathered her recorder, and followed Lu Mingfe out, leaving the command staff to face the impossible implications of the reality he had just described.

“The—The actual fuck…” It was Officer William who broke the stunned silence first. His professional composure shattered. “Continent-splitting beings roam this world? That is beyond insanity!”

“There might be undeniable truth in his words, but there is a very clear bias in his explanation,” Officer Nolan said, tapping the table to regain control of the discussion. “He was raised as a soldier in the Absolution Alliance, the side that follows the Demonic Supreme, so it goes without saying that he will have strong loyalties and biases towards his own side.”

“That is precisely what we need to be careful about here,” Imogen addressed everyone, her voice regaining its decisive edge. “His side might be lying to him, and the other side, the Murim Alliance to their own followers. The objective truth likely lies somewhere in between the propaganda.”

She emphasized her directive. “We will take this telling of how the war started as a subjective re-telling of events, a doctrinal history rather than an objective, factual report.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, accepting the necessity of parsing the truth from the ideology.

Pax leaned forward, synthesizing the known facts with Lu Mingfe's claims. “From what I can tell, propaganda might be heavily instilled in his version of the events, specifically concerning which immortal said what. However, the sheer strength of Immortals as he described must be fundamentally true, given the evidence of the 'continent splitting' and the speed and power we witnessed firsthand against a mere Third Circle Martial Artist.”

The sounds of agreement filled the room. The theoretical threat level had just been adjusted from "advanced human conflict" to "celestial warzone."

“That will be it for our history lesson for now, I guess,” Imogen concluded, bringing the room back to the order of operations. She brought the room back to the urgent task at hand. “We will call him back when we are ready to plan for how to get supplies and make use of his local knowledge. First, we have a Court Martial to conduct.” The immediate necessity of restoring order and discipline was paramount, even in the face of god-like existence roaming this new world.