Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 343 Zhang Chengdao's New Goal

No matter how old Hu Yun is, she is still a fox.

You can't expect a fox to know anything about economics and monetary theory, especially in such a backward era.

Therefore, it's perfectly reasonable for a fox to have no concept of the word "currency"...

No wonder!
Fang Tang came from a respectable background. After all, she was able to become an inner disciple of the Taiyue Sword Sect thanks to her family background. Although the Fang family was not a family of officials, it was still a well-known clan in the region. Therefore, in addition to being sent to the Taiyue Sword Sect to learn martial arts from a young age, Fang Tang also had a private tutor to teach her classics—that is, various cultural knowledge.

During this period in the Immortal Alliance, although the various words and names from the Alliance Leader Chang Ping'an and those originating from the White Stone Immortal Sect sounded somewhat strange and their usage was even more obscure, they were not difficult to understand. Many of these sayings were even ancient, just not commonly used.

Take "currency" for example. It was recorded and summarized in ancient books hundreds of years ago. Although it is not commonly used by the general public, it is not a new word.

As for the concept of "universal"...

It's actually quite universal, yet this senior, a great demon with over a hundred years of cultivation, doesn't even understand this?
Although he was somewhat surprised, Fang Tang did not show it on his face. Instead, he deliberately explained and reminded, "Senior should have heard that the 'Records of Food and Commodities' says, 'Trade depends on money, and currency cannot exist without money.' Therefore, when the Immortal Alliance was first established, setting up a common currency was of paramount importance."

"After all, most of the things that cultivators exchange are spiritual objects. Whether they are spiritual materials or magic treasures, they are not things that ordinary mortals can easily control. If they are ordinary spiritual materials, it is fine, but if they are too heavy in the five elements, they will harm mortals who have not cultivated the immortal path. Therefore, it is the decision made by the Immortal Alliance after careful consideration to temporarily control the circulation of these things within the cultivators."

"The purpose of refining 'Immortal Spirit Coins' is also this."

“Various immortal sects and forces freely trade their spiritual goods through the Immortal Alliance, using ‘immortal spirit money.’ In this way, mortals cannot use gold, silver, or other common currencies to trade out of curiosity, thus minimizing the circulation of spiritual materials and magical treasures among the people.”

Hu Yun tilted her head, thought hard for a long time, and finally smacked her lips, saying, "Isn't this still not safe?"

Fang Tang replied, "Yes, but the Immortal Alliance doesn't completely isolate the common people from cultivators. We just want to keep the danger within a range that can be dealt with quickly."

Hu Yun suddenly realized: "No wonder that Immortal Zhang said we could plant trees and herbs to exchange for resources with other cultivator factions within the Immortal Alliance..."

In fact, after a short while, it had roughly figured out that, whether it was the Immortal Alliance itself or the rules among cultivators formed under Zhang Chengdao's guidance and based on the Immortal Alliance, the White Stone Immortal Sect, as the strongest and most powerful, would definitely reap the most benefits.

However, no matter how many benefits there are to acting in this way, they are still limited...

"Why didn't that immortal Zhang ever think of unifying the world?"

Thinking this, Hu Yun asked the question aloud.

Fang Tang was taken aback, not expecting Hu Yun to ask such a question.

She thought about it carefully before answering, "Perhaps...perhaps because it's not necessary!"

"unnecessary?"

Fang Tang said, "Just like the Great Zhou Dynasty unified the world before, it was actually for the purpose of stabilizing the four directions. But now, with Immortal Zhang in charge, I'm afraid no one would dare to act recklessly. And with the Immortal Alliance, we can also monitor all cultivators in the world and have the responsibility of stabilizing the people. So, whether the world is unified or not doesn't really matter, right?"

...Inside the White Stone Immortal Sect beneath the Xunmu Tree, beside the empty Heavenly Pool, a similar question was also asked: "Why don't you simply bring the Xiao Kingdom under the rule of the White Stone Immortal Sect as well? Wouldn't the people of the Xiao Kingdom be able to enjoy the same life as the people of the Qin and Jin regions?"

Murong Ruyan truly couldn't understand it.

If I were as powerful as my master, I would have conquered the Northern Xiao Kingdom and the Southern Chu Kingdom long ago.

Judging from how easily Heshilie quelled the rebellion, it's clear that if Zhang Chengdao wanted to, conquering other places wouldn't be difficult.

But Master did not do that, and never thought of anything like that. He only tried to help those ordinary people, teaching this sect the way of formations and that force how to plant trees and grass. It can be said that there were no benefits, but it was too much trouble.
If we simply unify the world, then we can directly allocate places to plant or cultivate any spiritual materials we want, and search for any talents we want throughout the world. Why bother having ordinary people promote some kind of immortal destiny conference or distribute some kind of "White Stone Immortal Dao Book" everywhere?
"Why exactly?"

Zhang Chengdao stood on the rock, silent for a long while.

Could you explain the concept of "economic interdependence and political independence" to Emperor Ruyan?

Or should we explain the necessity of the Westphalian system?
No, those are all excuses.

The root cause is that Zhang Chengdao has never genuinely considered how the world should develop. Everything he does is either out of self-interest or because he is lazy and unwilling to put in the effort.

It is the weakness and refined egoism of the petty bourgeoisie that are at play.

Of course, even recognizing this, Zhang Chengdao had no intention of stirring up any red wave in this time and space. The development of philosophical thought is closely related to social productivity and the level of social production. Without sufficient theoretical support, even the most fervent slogans are just slogans.

Moreover, people's energy is limited. Instead of wasting time on this, it would be better to find ways to improve the level of social productivity as much as possible in order to promote social development.

“I cannot be the driver,” Zhang Chengdao said softly, looking at the shimmering lake. “I can only be the pusher, making this vehicle carrying the changes of the world move as fast as possible.”

This was originally a remark made by Zhang Chengdao.

This is also his latest answer to the question of what he wants to do in the future.

But to Murong Ruyan, it took on a different meaning.

'Unable to be a driver'? What does that mean? Does Master mean he cannot unify the world and someone else has to do it?
Just as she was about to ask more questions, she heard her master's voice ring in her ears again:

"So, Ruyan, get ready this afternoon and come over for a meeting with Steward Xu and the others. I'm going to hold the first sect competition to encourage the disciples to cultivate, promote their training, and also to cultivate talents who can stand on their own as soon as possible!"

The White Stone Immortal Sect has already taken shape, the Immortal Alliance is also in its infancy, the world order is gradually forming, and the revival of spiritual energy is underway. Everything is developing well, as if all I need to do is wait for this world to completely "upgrade" and for the world barrier to be broken down so that I can find a chance to go home.

But simply waiting around isn't a good idea. It would be better to cultivate more talent and spread these talents throughout the world, allowing them to shine and contribute to social development and the revival of spiritual energy.

Therefore, while encouraging disciples to cultivate, it is the perfect time to highlight key talents for intensive training and hold a so-called "Sect Grand Competition"!
(End of this chapter)