Taoist Master Xuanhuang

"Seeing the creatures here, I feel as if I am seeing my former self."

Looking at the fearful and apprehensive creatures of the four cities, these foreign cultivators seemed to see their former selves reflected in them.

That's how it happened.

Faced with the uncertainty of the unknown, they found it hard to believe the strength of the true cultivators in the main world.

They went even further back then. The three great gods had not yet completed the Heavenly Dao. They only discovered that they could cultivate after coming to the main world from the alien realm.
Fortunately, I was lucky. Back then, there weren't such big artificial barriers. As long as you had resources, you could learn the three invincible techniques and some secret techniques.

Unlike now, powerful secret techniques have been hidden away, and even some guidance and instruction have been lost.

This leaves many creatures from other lands lamenting in vain, with no way to escape except through a miracle.

"Yes, aren't they just like we used to be?"

The people of the four cities were suddenly brought onto the stage, and it was inevitable that they would embarrass themselves and perform in a panic.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Are you planning to join a mercenary group, fellow Daoist?"

They hadn't forgotten their purpose in coming here; they had paid a considerable price to teleport here, not to sigh and lament.

They come to make money, or even that's not their goal; they come to acquire resources.

Some resources are controlled by various powerful forces, such as cultivation resources, which are strictly controlled.

To obtain it, one must fight desperately, becoming cannon fodder for a powerful force. As long as one survives, one can use the merits earned to exchange for the secret techniques and resources one desires.

It's unrealistic for the Martial Arts Alliance to destroy a secret swamp on its own.

Not only is it not worth it, but it would also waste a lot of manpower.

Therefore, they would recruit many independent cultivators and assign some tasks to these mercenaries. These were all very dangerous missions, requiring them to risk their lives.

For example, to break through a secret realm, you need to enter and explore.

No one knows what dangers lie within this broken secret realm, so a suicide squad is needed to explore it.

These suicide squads were hired rogue cultivators.

They cannot obtain the resources within the secret realm, but they will receive merit points.

Merit points can be exchanged for secret techniques exclusive to the Martial Arts Alliance, and even for things like learning the Secret Realm Refining Technique.

This also applies to the great supernatural powers of the Dao Lord.

Furthermore, qualifications such as being selected to enter the Dream Realm for enlightenment are only controlled by powerful forces.

They are qualified to elect certain beings to enter the dream world to learn the law.

This is what these mercenary rogues came for.

They travel to various places; wherever there is a major mission, they will be there.

To put it nicely, they are mercenaries; to put it bluntly, they are cannon fodder.

They are the ones who carry out dangerous exploration and reconnaissance missions, risking their lives to earn points, which they then use to acquire resources and secret techniques that only powerful forces possess.

The Martial Arts Alliance's mission to destroy the Secret Realm Swamp was a long-term task that required many people, and they rushed here.

"We can't compete with the merchant guilds and conglomerates in business. Besides, there's not much to gain from the people in these four cities. Let's join the mercenaries to earn points instead."

The Taoist priest who was being questioned responded.

The opening of a new market, although the market is not small.

However, just as secret resources are monopolized, so too are opportunities to make money.

Currently, the best resource in this world is the secret cultivation method, which is controlled by the Four Superpowers and the Eight Great Powers.

The second best resources are various spiritual objects, talismans, and formations, which are controlled by the Eight Great Powers and some other major forces.

These are the two most valuable resources.

But these are all controlled by powerful forces, or forces supported by powerful forces.

You might be able to make a little money by buying and selling, but making big money is impossible.

They simply cannot compete with large conglomerates.

Behind these large conglomerates are various powerful forces, whose financial and military strength are completely outmatched.

No one cares about making a little money from small businesses, but once it reaches a certain scale, it becomes something that independent cultivators can't participate in.

There seem to be countless opportunities, but in reality, there are no other options.

Moreover, they are alien beings, not pure humans from Earth, so their choices are even fewer.

This is not the world Xuanhuang wanted, or rather, it is not the model he desired.

But even with his immense power, he couldn't stop the greed and fickleness of human nature.

This cannot be restrained by force alone.

Even if we could achieve that, the losses might not be less than what we have now.

A meticulous, seamless world with no gaps in rights may seem fair, but it also stifles creativity and miracles.

Although the world today appears to be rife with monopolies, it has also spurred considerable resistance and creativity.

After all, it's not a world dominated by a single company. There are four other companies at the level of the four superpowers, and as many as twelve at the level of the eight major powers.

With so many forces involved, it's impossible for them to cooperate seamlessly; they all have significant internal conflicts and sordid dealings.

Those who claim to have space for life to develop simply want to rise in such a world. Those who can rise are the truly strong, and it is a miracle.

This is how the three legendary sword cultivators rose to prominence.

If you have real ability, even a seemingly monopolistic world cannot stop your brilliance.

It can be said to be a selection mechanism; only the truly strong can rise to the top.

Feeling that the world is against you, and that you haven't become strong because of your environment—these are not signs of true strength; they are just complaining and grumbling to prevent heartbreak.

There is no perfect world; such a world does not exist.

Moreover, things are already changing; a great upheaval is underway.

The birth of subordinate cultivators is the force that drives change in this world.

Many who were already dissatisfied with this have begun to join the ranks of subordinate cultivators and are quietly growing under the protection of the various supreme deities.

Once they grow up, they will be a force that overturns the world order.

The four superpowers are also being dismantled by the inevitable trend, and everyone knows who this inevitable trend is.

The leaders of the Dao are carrying out reforms in a planned manner.

Opportunities are everywhere right now. If someone doesn't see them, it doesn't mean they're not talented. True strong people are already working hard and waiting patiently.

This small team is composed entirely of alien creatures.

They are top experts in the four cities, but in the core domain they are just small fry, lacking both strength and insight.

But they discovered a clue.

"If I can't compete with the big conglomerates, I should just go all out. Maybe this time I can get the secret technique I want."

They lack the talent and connections to do business.

Working hard requires the least amount of thinking; if you die, so be it, but if you live, you get credit points.

Once you have enough points, you can exchange them for sufficient resources.

"Gentlemen, have you noticed that there seem to be far fewer fellow Daoists from the main branch, whether they are mercenaries or small merchants?"

A cultivator from another realm seemed to have discovered something amiss.

This operation was initiated by the Martial Arts Alliance, so there should have been many talented people involved.

However, the situation on the ground was not like that.

"Main lineage" is what they call the pure humans of Earth. They consider the pure humans of Earth to be the main lineage of humanity, while they are a branch of humanity.

"Huh? It really is?"

The crowd glanced around and could easily distinguish between the main lineage and the branch lineages of humans.

Even an ordinary human from the main lineage exudes a stronger Daoist aura and spiritual intent than an ordinary person from another realm. This is due to the fact that the same beings were born from two different levels of worlds.

Dragons cannot be raised in underwater environments, and the humans nurtured in small worlds cannot compare to those nurtured in the vast and powerful main world.

"How could this be?"

They were puzzled.

"Could it be that the rumors were true, and they all went to join the subordinate camp?"

This is a rumor that has been circulating since the Investiture of the Gods.

Some people who are dissatisfied with the status quo want to change this messed-up world, but they lack the power to do so, so they have no choice but to join forces that can, to contribute their efforts and strength.

The beings from other realms are slow to realize things, always a step behind the cultivators of the main world, and only now are they feeling it.

This is also the difference between humans from other worlds and humans from the main world.

All trends and popular fads are guided by the Lord's spirits; they are always followers.

If this situation doesn't change, even if they have the same natural talent as humans in the main world, they won't achieve much.

"Have we fallen behind again?"

They couldn't help but think.

"Hey, you'll get used to it. Judging from the current situation, we've indeed fallen behind again. But I don't quite understand, are the people of the main lineage really so bold as to believe that subordinate cultivators can overturn all of this?"

This is what they can't understand.

Are you not afraid of losing if you're so willing to gamble?

"Our backgrounds are different. We are young people from small towns in the countryside. We have no capital and can only move forward cautiously and diligently because we have no way back. If we retreat, it will be a bottomless abyss. This kind of confinement has made us cautious and timid."

“The main lineage is different. They come from a world that truly believes that kings and nobles are born with special privileges. They have enough resources to allow them to be willful. Even if they fail once, they still have a chance to start over. But we don’t have that. Once we fail, we die without a burial place. That’s the difference between us and the main lineage.”

Those who lived a year or more seemed to have explained the reason.

The reason why cultivators in the main world always attract spiritual waves is that they have more choices and ways out.

For creatures from other lands, a single wrong choice can lead to a precipice.

The monks in the main world are like the Brahmins of a small town, and they...

"What about us?"

"Don't even think about it. Do you have connections? Do you know how to join a subordinate faction? Do you know the exact route? You might get sold out without even knowing it."

Some people's hearts suddenly skipped a beat.

However, it was immediately sealed with cement.

Yes, these alien beings don't even have a way to join a subordinate faction.

Those connections also belong to the main lineage. Even a cultivator from the main world who has nothing will have some friends and will naturally possess the identity of a human from the main lineage.

This identity will elevate them; even a fool or a good-for-nothing will have far more opportunities than a human from another world.

"Let's go and register. If we get a good score this time, we can make a big step forward... Don't overthink it. If our generation can't do it, there's always the next generation. We're accumulating resources for the next generation. Only if we work hard will the next generation not have to work so hard."

Even the experienced cultivators who saw the crux of the problem gave the same advice to the younger cultivators.

After all, they also have a large group of family and friends behind them.

They are also fighting for their family and friends. Their hard work is the reason why the next generation can be carefree.

History is a circle, a cycle, a truth everyone knows, yet there are things we cannot obtain.

…………

"Why did these barbarians choose this place?"

The Martial Arts Alliance's swift and decisive actions left the other three factions puzzled.

Why go to such great lengths to destroy the secret swamp? Don't tell me it's just about killing the demonized saints within.
The three families didn't believe it.

"Judging from the messages that have been sent back, the purposes are threefold: first, to kill the holy ones to gain merit; second, to obtain resources from the secret swamp; and third, to pave the way for Lin Fan."

"I'm afraid there's more than that. For example, your sacred status in the Secret Swamp is very special, and they want to obtain it?"

"What kind of holiness is so sacred that it warrants such a fuss?"

"This is something I don't understand."

"I can't see through it either."

"..."

The three schools of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism were momentarily confused about what the Martial Arts Alliance was up to.
They didn't know that the Martial Arts Alliance valued Lao Ai's abilities.

Of course, it's not about any particular ability. If it were just that, the Martial Arts Alliance wouldn't be in such a situation. They're all body-refining cultivators; who isn't strong?

What they valued was Lao Ai's method of transforming the secret realm into the dantian secret realm.

Once this law is obtained, its significance will be immense.

Each of the four super families has a very large group, which is the group of spiritual masters who joined them before.

The Demon Suppression Department is not the only place for spiritual masters.

There are also many spiritual masters in the Four Superpowers.

Each household has a third-level spiritual practitioner.

It's a high level, but the status isn't that high. Even a third-level spiritual cultivator can't shake the authority of a true cultivator.

If one obtains Lao Ai's teachings, there's no need to switch spiritual practices.

Alternatively, one can transform the secret realm into a dantian, and then achieve the third-level true cultivation ability in one fell swoop.

Although spiritual practice can progress rapidly these days, once its potential is exhausted, one still needs to switch to another practice.

It requires starting from the first level of transcendence and gradually rebuilding one's cultivation. Although progress is rapid, faster than that of ordinary true cultivators, it still takes time.

Even a tenth of the time spent in true cultivation is still a very long time.

In the past hundred years, the highest cultivation level achieved by a true cultivator has only been the late stage of the second rank.

The third stage is a route that takes at least a hundred years, or even a thousand years, to complete.

Even a tenth of a spiritual transformation takes more than a hundred years.

Moreover, the accumulation of the late stage of the third tier is a long process that even spiritual cultivation cannot shorten.

If we could obtain Lao Ai's secret Dantian technique, its effects would be immense.

Of course, they were unaware of just how evil Lao Ai's secret dantian was.

If I knew, I probably wouldn't crave it so much; just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable.

Although they cannot be ignored, the emphasis should be on meaning rather than form, which can be modified.

Even so, those who know the root cause will still feel disgusted and uncomfortable.

I don't know yet, so I'm really eager for this method. Mr. Paper's presentation is so attractive, the Secret Realm Dantian Method.

"Continue to gather information and keep a close eye on the situation."

Even though the three major groups are about to disband, their inertia still exists.

If any of the four families makes a big move, they unconsciously feel nervous and can't help but want to get involved.

They've been locked in a love-hate relationship for a century; it's not something that can be easily changed.

"Yes!"

The subordinate accepted the order and continued the investigation.

Even the parasites in each household are very cautious at this time. They will make noise only when necessary, and any major moves by the other three households should not be underestimated.

At this moment, all four families' parasites showed no sign of wanting to be parasites.

...(End of chapter)