Taoist Master Xuanhuang

A shop in a certain city.

Xinrong Pavilion is the name of this shop. It mainly sells some broad-spectrum elixirs and some broad-spectrum talismans, as well as a few rare spiritual items and some spiritual items that cannot be found on the market.

The turmoil caused by the split within Confucianism spread and eventually reached this city.

This city is incomparable to some large cities like Nanshi, because its lower level makes it easy to form monopolistic barriers.

Unlike large cities, which are bustling with talent and experts who come here every moment, this place is not a place of great activity.

If you stay here, you have to think about survival, and if you want to survive, you have to climb up.

That's how it is in large cities; every month, some minor powers fall into decline and are eliminated by newly rising powers.

The competition is fierce, because it is a large city with outstanding people and resources, and it faces such challenges.

On the contrary, some very small cities, or even towns that can't be called cities at all, are quite stable.

Several powerful families or forces have a very firm grip on the situation, and the geniuses don't even look down on such a place. Nobody comes here to develop, so there are very few who can overthrow them.

Statistics show that the downfall of such small-town power often occurs when they provoke those they shouldn't have, leading to their being hunted down and wiped out.

Cases of forces that have simply grown from within small towns eliminating them are extremely rare.

Therefore, there is a saying that the more backward a small place is, the more exaggerated and closed off its small circles become.

That's how this city is.

However, despite being looked down upon by many, this small place remains a haven for the people who live there.

Unable to venture out, let alone break free from this closed monopoly, they still struggle to survive.

The extraordinary scientific and technological doctor's advocacy for technological equality makes everyone naturally believe that legends are all around us, and that we can share all kinds of information without any difference in knowledge.

This idea is good, but also unfortunate.

People in small cities can also see all the major events happening in the world through the HarmonyOS smart bracelet. (The extraordinary technology that Dr. Extraordinary Technology uses to replace mobile phones is a smart bracelet called the HarmonyOS smart bracelet.)
As mentioned earlier, similar to virtual reality, one can see virtual images as if witnessing them in person through many extraordinary abilities such as willpower, divine thought, spiritual awareness, and dreams.

People living in small towns can still have a broad perspective on world events.

However, this thing has one drawback: it requires real-name registration, and the registration method is based on each cultivator's unique divine sense, will, etc.

It cannot be faked; once authenticated and bound, it is a technological product that will stay with you for life.

Therefore, there are far fewer keyboard warriors.

After all, this is a genuine registration. If someone were to actually find the place and name where the registration is located, they would be a cultivator, not subject to the laws of mortals.

If you spout nonsense, you might actually get yourself beaten to death.

Go through the internet cable and beat you up—that's not an exaggeration, it's actually possible.

From the very beginning, there were those who were so arrogant and ignorant, so timid and submissive in real life, yet dared to spread rumors, slander, and vent their anger on the internet, even against the Four Supers and Eight Greats, and even against the Hall of Merit and the Department of Suppressing Evil.

And then... that was it. He actually got caught up and lectured.

Therefore, the HarmonyOS world is very friendly and peaceful, and not many people dare to be keyboard warriors.

Furthermore, having become the deputy minister of the Evil Suppression Department, Long Yue's Ghost Computer has already merged with the Extraordinary Technology Harmony World.

The jurisdiction of the Hongmeng World is 70% held by the Hall of Merit and the Department of Suppressing Evil, but the situation is reversed, unlike the Listening Tower where the Hall of Merit holds 40% and the Department of Suppressing Evil holds 30%.

In the Hongmeng World, the Suppression Department occupies 40%, the Merit Hall occupies 30%, and the remaining 30% is controlled by the Doctor and his group of extraordinary technological people.

Without the control of these two major departments, the Hongmeng world would have had a hard time developing. After all, who would dare to entrust data to others?
The registration information and other data in the Hongmeng World are all under the direct control of the Zhenxie Department, and even the doctors and others from Chaofan Technology have no right to view them.

To view this information, you need to apply to the Department of Suppression of Evil.

It may seem frustrating, but it is precisely because of this trade-off that HarmonyOS has replaced the earliest Dragon Leap Ghost Computer and become the second large-scale platform outside of the Dream World.

By simply extracting a small commission and a tiny handling fee, the entire team at Chaofan Technology gained unimaginable resources.

They all need to pay back the initial investment in the first Extraordinary Technology City in Taizhou.

Just ask me, how fast can this make money?

Getting back to the main point, the Hongmeng World and Hongmeng Bracelet are affordable for every cultivator. If you can't afford them, you can pay in installments or even on credit.

Therefore, as long as a cultivator enters a certain level and possesses divine sense, they can register and roam freely in the Primordial World.

The same applies to small cities.

Given this, it's natural that one might be misled by certain rumors.

For example, in Xinrong Pavilion, four or five young people were watching the rising prices with great distress.

"Manager Hu, why has the price increased so much?" asked one of the young men in the lead.

The middle-aged shopkeeper across from me, Mr. Hu, looked worried: "I can't do anything about it. It's just a small business, but prices have gone up. Chaos is coming, and there's nothing I can do. The price I pay for the goods has gone up."

Shopkeeper Hu appeared worried, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He had made the right bet; history was repeating itself, only now he was the 'old man' from before.

"How could this be? Wasn't the split of the four superpowers supposed to be a good thing that benefits all living beings? Why is this happening? Not only have the roads to XX City become dangerous, but the other roads to other cities are too. Moreover, the prices of various resources have also increased. Why is this happening?"

Among the young people, a naive boy asked helplessly.

"Ah, yes, yes, as you all know, the roads to the major cities have become dangerous, so transportation costs have increased, and naturally, the prices of my pills and talismans have also gone up. Sigh, it's not easy for anyone!" Manager Hu said immediately.

The boys fell silent.

Looking at the soaring prices and thinking about the few points left in my pocket, a sense of pressure washed over me.

How can I survive in this world?

this is a big problem.

They were not from prominent families, lacked the resources and talent of such families, and were simply better than ordinary people, possessing a talent for cultivation.

I was lucky enough to attend the compulsory education course offered by the university alliance, but because it didn't offer much of a future, I became unemployed after graduation.

Those who are truly talented don't necessarily attend the compulsory education programs of the university alliance; they've already been snapped up by various powerful forces and recruited into elite sects for training.

Only those whom the major powers disdain, but who still possess some talent for cultivation, are the people the university alliance recruits.

After all, the University Alliance is quite unique. It's a powerful force, but also a welfare organization designated by Xuanhuang, possessing welfare attributes. It must cater to the people of Xia Kingdom who are capable of cultivation, teaching them the Daoist arts.

If someone has the talent to cultivate but doesn't, then it's the fault of the university alliance.

The university alliance still receives many donations.

It is the only one of the eight major organizations that is still accepting donations to this day.

There are many donors or groups, such as the Merit Hall and the Evil Suppression Department, which allocate a lot of points resources to the University Alliance every year so that they can make such welfare expenditures.

Of course, this only applies to people from the Xia Kingdom; it doesn't recognize anyone else, whether from small worlds or secret realms.

It's just a benefit for the people of Xia.

These four or five young people are among the welfare students of the university alliance, and they hardly have to spend any money on school.

It can be trained until adulthood, at which point the training will end.

If someone is very talented and is highly regarded, they may be recruited by powerful organizations or groups, and they can choose to join these organizations or groups.

If no one has faith in them, then I'm sorry, you've graduated and are on your own to make a living.

These are the cases where these individuals returned to their hometowns.

Actually, it's not bad. After all, in small towns, those with cultivation potential are all considered "prodigies," at least that's how it is in the eyes of ordinary people.

They themselves are dissatisfied with their talents, while ordinary people envy their ability to cultivate.

When you realize you have no shoes to wear and feel miserable, you turn around and find that many people don't even have feet.

This is the world.

They returned to their hometown, where they were at least respected and influential cultivators, and were prominent figures in the small town.

Many people might question this, since smaller cities are said to be more class-based and have greater resource monopolies.

Why are these poor people with no family wealth living such a glamorous life?
It's because people are different. Children from wealthy families are sent to powerful organizations or groups, or they are paid to stay in the university alliance for further studies.

Those who are sent back to their hometowns are the only option for poor and talentless children.

Anyone with a bit of resources will naturally send their offspring into higher-level organizations and forces, so they won't let them go home to be spoiled brats.

In this twisted and swirling Xia Kingdom, there aren't many spoiled brats like this.

Anyone who manages to build up a local influential force is no fool; they all know they are very, very weak.

He might be a big shot in a small town, but in a big city like Nanshi, he wouldn't even have the right to survive.

Moreover, the cultivation period is short, only a hundred years. Currently, those who control the family or power are still the first generation founders.

These people are not the kind of successors who have been passed down for generations, but their abilities should not be underestimated.

To put it simply, although many small places were occupied by these first-generation founders, they managed their places very well and never allowed their descendants to act arrogantly.

There is very little public discontent.

There's also the Department of Suppressing Evil, the Hall of Merit, and the Dream Realm and the Primordial World; they're facing a very difficult situation as well.

Once reported and exposed, it's fine if you haven't done anything wrong, but if you have, you'll be dealt with.

It's been even more difficult lately. The so-called demonic path, which consists of two subordinate cultivators, loves to plunder small forces with bad reputations, and they rarely provoke any complaints from other cultivators.

It's tough for everyone. Small forces may seem to be living a glamorous life in a small place, but they're also miserable and can't afford to relax at all.

For various reasons, batches of young people are sent back to China. They enjoy a period of glory, but as time goes by, some die and disappear from the public eye, some go out and die abroad, or, with a very small probability, they do well abroad.

These four or five young people are just another generation of young people being deported.

Unfortunately, they were caught in a turbulent era.

Even the right to enjoy a few years of glory after returning home will be taken away.

Looking at the distressed young people in front of him, Boss Hu, with only a sliver of conscience left, said, "I remember telling you a while ago that those were all rumors, not to be believed, and not to get involved. Be realistic, think about your future. Graduation doesn't mean the end; in terms of cultivation, it's just the beginning. It's not impossible to create miracles. I remember saying that."

"..." The young people felt uncomfortable when this was mentioned.

Mr. Hu really said that about them.

They didn't believe it at first. Although they didn't dare to openly curse Boss Hu, after leaving they said that Boss Hu had a servile mentality and didn't dare to resist at all. They were all birds of a feather, no wonder he could only be a small business owner in a small place.

Anyway, it's a very harsh statement. They think that with the collapse of the four superpowers, their own opportunity has arrived, and no amount of persuasion can change that.

Looking back now, it's really embarrassing.

"Let me tell you a story..."

"A long time ago, a young man named Xinrong experienced a special era called the Locust Era, haha... You guys graduated from the University Alliance, so they definitely wouldn't teach you this..."

"During that special period, there were also rumors, even going a step further than the rumors, that the Four Supers were not called the Four Supers but the Four Greats. The Four Greats suddenly retired, caused by a chain reaction triggered by multiple factors of reports and dissatisfaction. They really did retire for a short period of time."

"Then came a brief and unique era of locusts. At that time, the young man named Xinrong, just like you, thought that a new era had arrived and his opportunity had come..."

"One day, he passed by a stall and met an old man selling pills and talismans. The young man, Xinrong, wanted more people to accept his ideas, so he told everyone he met his thoughts and judgments to the old man selling pills."

The old man remained unmoved after hearing this, and looked pitifully at the young man named Xinrong, saying in a somewhat regretful and pitiful tone: "Young man, that's impossible. I see you're full of enthusiasm and are a good young man. Take my advice and buy more of my pills. You'll thank me."

At this point, Boss Hu said, "Guess what that young man named Xinrong did?"

The young people fell even more silent; wasn't this describing them?
It seems that Mr. Hu said something similar to me a few months ago. What did I do back then?

Naturally, she turned around and started cursing Boss Hu, calling him a greedy bastard who actually wanted her to buy more of his goods, saying that such a person was disgusting.

Oh right, what was Boss Hu's name again? I think it was Hu Xinrong. Xinrong Pavilion is Boss Hu's name.
"Haha, that young man named Xinrong naturally wouldn't listen. In a fit of pique, he refused to buy the old man's pills and even said a few bad things about him."

"The old man wasn't angry. He said something that still makes young people proud and has benefited them greatly: 'Young man, if you don't sell now, you won't be able to afford it in a while.'"

"How about that? That sentence is quite profound, isn't it?"

...(End of chapter)