Ten thousand I am across the heavens

The further east you go in the towns, the more modern they become. Aside from Southern Xinjiang, only the East China Sea is most severely affected by the Shanhe Republic. This is because many of the top-tier martial arts masters from Southern Xinjiang fled to the East China Sea. Having suffered losses in Southern Xinjiang, they realized how useful those high-tech gadgets were and brought them along. As an invasive species, they were initially weakened by the terrain. However, after recovering, they used their more advanced technology and management system to cause enormous trouble for the native forces of the East China Sea, forcing them to embrace new things and learn these new technologies.

The blockade imposed by Zhongzhou on the southern border was clearly much stricter than that on the East Sea. Most of the smuggled decommissioned weapons actually originated from the East Sea. In essence, they weren't genuine decommissioned weapons, but rather imitations made by immortals who fled to the East Sea. Because the technology wasn't very advanced, the imitations weren't significantly different from the genuine articles, and some were even improved, making them more effective in relatively low-tech and low-infrastructure environments.

Therefore, the further east you go, the more modern the towns become. The more technologically advanced the towns also become. Dao Tian traveled at a leisurely pace, eventually arriving at a small town 3,800 li from the border. Although it sounds far from the border, in the vast scale of this world, it's practically right next to the border. It's definitely a border city.

This place is called Tihu Town. Due to the spread of technology from the East China Sea, this town no longer has any antique charm. Instead, it is full of steel jungles built of reinforced concrete.

The thriving commerce attracted a massive population, with approximately 1500 million people living in this huge town, which also fostered the development of its own industrial system.

Compared to the former county town, this city is now like a metropolis under neon lights, full of cyberpunk style.

When Dao Tian first arrived here, he thought he had returned to the Southern Frontier, and even suspected that he had returned to the world before he transmigrated. Not to mention the towering reinforced concrete buildings, ordinary people here had begun to commonly use gene enhancement drugs or mechanized body modification technology.

Judging from the art style alone, this place is even more radical than the Republic of Mountains and Rivers. Many of the pedestrians on the streets have had their limbs replaced—body parts that don't belong to them.

Dao Tian, ​​who hasn't undergone any physical modifications—at least not openly—is not out of place here. This is a world where the supernatural and technology coexist. After reaching a certain level of cultivation, the benefits of physical modification may not be as great as preserving one's original, intact body. Therefore, in this city, there are quite a few people who haven't undergone any physical modifications, yet they hold very high positions.

After entering the city, Dao Tian discovered that there was no need for entry checks or entry taxes. This bustling commercial city had no boundaries whatsoever, and its sheer size was enough to make any invader's scalp tingle.

Strolling through this metropolis gave him a feeling of returning to the time before he traveled through time. Although the payment methods, transportation, and architectural styles were somewhat different, the general direction wasn't too different. Transportation consisted of neon tracks marked in the air. There were no physical roads, but flight paths were planned to ensure that flying vehicles wouldn't collide with each other due to violations of traffic rules.

The payment method was digital payment linked to his identity. After entering the city, someone tried to take him to a bank to deposit money, but he quickly beat them up. He soon realized from experience that the person was a middleman for a small, shady bank. These black banks often only accept deposits and don't handle withdrawals. And the money deposited isn't always available for use.

Just like some payment apps become unusable overseas, and some banks only accept deposits from a few merchants. Due to information asymmetry, tricking outsiders into depositing money in these black banks has become a business.

Dao Tian had some knowledge in this area. After observing the local situation, he realized he had been tricked. He promptly beat the man up and found the real bank nearby.

Money deposited here can be used in other cities. Although the jurisdiction only covers a small area within the border region, it involves the economic system of hundreds of millions of people and can be considered a universal currency.

Dao Tian was quite wealthy. During the chaotic battle between the various sects, he emptied the pockets of those he knocked unconscious. In addition, he left with a large amount of foreign exchange reserves, which were essentially non-standard elemental stones.

The Yuan Stones cultivated and grown in the Shanhe Republic are all identical because they use the same molds, production environment, and processing methods. Natural Yuan Stones, on the other hand, will vary slightly in size and shape. Since they are all mined from natural veins, ensuring minimal quality variation is already quite good.

Because of the difference between the two, Dao Tian cannot carry the Yuan Stones of the Shanhe Republic out of the country; otherwise, his identity would be immediately exposed. Fortunately, he still has a lot of foreign exchange reserves, whether through trade or mining natural mineral veins. He has a large reserve of ores of various shapes, which serves as his personal funds for special agents who need to travel abroad.

Dao Tian's personal funds weren't particularly extravagant, but considering his gains along the way, they totaled over a million yuan stones—a truly staggering amount. Enough to acquire some not-so-large sects. However, in this enormous city, it wasn't all that impressive. After confirming that he could exchange his funds for digital currency and then immediately convert it back to cash, he exchanged eighty percent of his money for digital currency.

His intuition told him that in this modern city, he could obtain many things he wanted, at least a number of enhancements that could be directly used openly.

"If you want to enhance your strength, I recommend Tianma Technology's combat suit system. This equipment is compatible with most killing moves and has no restrictions on the use of personal abilities. Most importantly, it doesn't require damaging your body, making it perfect for a traditional cultivator like you." Dao Tian encountered a sales assistant as soon as he arrived at the mall. The beautiful sales assistant enthusiastically explained things to him, practically practically sticking to him. The two chatted more and more congenially, and Dao Tian felt as if she were his confidante. Every conversation was comfortable, and before he knew it, the sales assistant had led him to the store entrance. It wasn't until he started shopping that he realized something was amiss. A random saleswoman he met at the mall entrance shouldn't be so telepathic with him. After concentrating his mind and using a high-powered scanner to observe her, he realized, expressionless, that the saleswoman beside him was actually a mechanical puppet.

To be precise, it should be described as half-human, half-machine. The "human skin" part is likely true, but the body is actually dead. The internal mechanical skeleton keeps it functioning, and the brain has long been hollowed out and replaced with a computer. It appears alive, but is actually just a robot, relying on data and internal computing modules to simulate a real person. Because of this, this robot can mimic the thoughts of any person and converse tacitly with anyone.

"The technology here is limited, but they've certainly learned a ton of crooked tricks." Dao Tian pushed aside the beautiful robot and continued browsing the mall. He was now very wealthy; his vast bank account made him one of the mall's most sought-after customers. In this city, personal privacy was practically nonexistent. However, the super-rich did have access to hidden assets. Most people, however, didn't use this access; instead, they frequently accessed privileges invisible to those at the bottom of society.

Dao Tian only realized the existence of such privileges after carefully reading the rules. For the truly wealthy and powerful at the bottom of society, it's entirely possible to make them invisible, as these individuals have generally undergone mechanical modifications to their bodies. To adapt to this information-driven cyber society, they typically have semi-transparent screens implanted in their retinas or irises, replacing their natural vision. This allows them to engage in extensive human-computer interaction directly through their eyes, and also significantly enhances their power, far exceeding the visual acuity of ordinary humans.

The vision enhancement effect brought about by this basic modification alone is comparable to that of some second-tier Gu worms. It's no wonder that the vast majority of ordinary people living in this city choose to undergo such eye modification surgery. And after undergoing this surgery, due to limited funds, the available packages will inevitably involve selling off a portion of their visual access.

This often results in ads popping up passively in one's field of vision. Although they don't block one's main field of vision, they still force one to watch them and occupy a portion of the field of vision.

Their vision is also affected. When some people don't want to be seen, they can completely block themselves from view. It's an illusion, a sensory illusion, that makes ordinary people subconsciously avoid that area, without even seeing anyone in it. Even if they brush past a wealthy person who has activated their privacy settings, they wouldn't know there's actually someone there; it's as if the two people live in two different worlds.

"Tsk tsk tsk, truly taking the dross and discarding the essence!" Dao Tian shook his head and sighed helplessly. This kind of system, which clearly carries the function of class division, appears openly in the rules of governance. It can only be said that the original social rules are rotten to the core. Any new rules built on top of this will only continue to go downhill.

The dazzling array of goods in the mall broadened his horizons, even though its technological level was far lower than that of the Shanhe Republic. However, the application of technology had become utterly shameless. For example, there were many shops resembling cigarette stores, but the items sold there were clearly not ordinary cigarettes.

Rows of objects resembling mechanical pencils were displayed in the shelves. Some people held them in their mouths, puffing away and displaying expressions of pleasure. Others pressed the mechanical pencil-like objects against their arms, and with a snap, their skin was pierced by the tiny needles, revealing even more enjoyable expressions on their faces.

Besides these packaged items, there are also more primitive and rugged Gu worms here. These specially cultivated Gu worms are still alive and are bought and used by some people. When the Gu worms are stimulated, they will sting them, which brings them indescribable pleasure.

There are many similar shops in the mall. Besides these, there are also shops selling replicas of the sales assistants, with varying quality. High-quality replicas are so lifelike that it's hard to tell they're real. Lower-quality replicas have a distinctly wooden feel, but if they remain still, it's still difficult to distinguish them from real people.

As for the slogans inside, with their mention of vacuum suction, rotation, and automatic heating, Dao Tian didn't need to look to know what they were for. It just goes to show that after technology spread, some people just like to use high-quality steel, putting it in knife handles.

After wandering around for a while, he did find some useful information. For example, many shops were posting notices recruiting mechanics, and after inquiring and researching, he discovered that in this metropolis, being a mechanic was not an ordinary profession, but a high-end profession comparable to that of a Gu Master.

Essentially, the Mechanic is also a type of Gu Master, or rather, a school of thought, much like the Power School or the Slave School. However, due to their distinct characteristics and heavy reliance on industrialization, these schools are largely confined to cities. Yet, even within cities, the Mechanic School is overwhelmingly powerful and dominant compared to other schools.

Although Dao Tian had not yet encountered a real mechanic, he quickly learned about the kind of Gu worm structure required for this special school of thought by searching for information online.

First, there's the basic creation module, which requires the ability to skillfully manufacture various metal insulators and semiconductors, and to shape and process them. Anyone who can do this can be considered a Level 1 Mechanic. At this level, they can already take on many important roles and repair many less precise hardware devices. As their precision control capabilities improve, the Mechanic's level will also increase.

[To be continued]

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