Forced to become a top influencer, I rely on my tu cao to ruin the cultivation world.

Above the Sunset Peak of Qingyun Sect.

Originally, this place was a famous "Cloud Sea Wonderland" in the cultivation world, shrouded in a light white spiritual mist all year round, the essence of heaven and earth's spiritual energy. However, today, when the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, the scene above Sunset Peak left all the early-rising disciples speechless with astonishment.

The sky was no longer a clear blue, nor the magnificent crimson of the sunset, but had turned into a depressing, murky leaden gray.

Thick clouds, like a moldy quilt, weighed heavily on the mountaintop. Instead of auspicious clouds, billowing clouds were plumes of black smoke emitting a pungent sulfurous odor. This smoke wasn't naturally formed; it billowed from the towering chimneys of Qingyun Heavy Industry.

"Cough cough cough—!"

An outer disciple had just opened the window when he was hit by a pungent odor that made him cough violently. Clutching his chest, tears streaming down his face, he exclaimed, "What is this smell? It stinks even worse than the rotten salted fish buried under the Scripture Pavilion for five hundred years!"

"Don't open the window! Close it now!" The senior disciple next to him, his face ashen, slammed the window shut. "That's...that's 'industrial waste' coming out of Elder Jia's factory!"

As the sun rose higher, the black smoke did not dissipate. Instead, under the influence of the cold air currents at high altitudes, it mixed with the original spiritual mist, forming a yellowish-brown gas with strong corrosive properties—the first "spiritual haze" in the cultivation world was born.

……

Qingyun Heavy Industry, central control room.

"Rat-a-tat ...

The tractor, modified into a "cross-border drilling platform," was running at full speed, frantically absorbing the mixed spiritual energy drawn from Earth.

Jia Zhuang sat in the driver's seat, holding a bowl of instant noodles, and took a satisfying slurp. He looked at the soaring production data on the dashboard and was in a great mood.

"Awesome! This is what industrialized production should be like!"

However, at that moment, the tractor's exhaust pipe, which was originally emitting light blue exhaust fumes, suddenly emitted a strange "whoosh whoosh" sound.

Immediately afterwards, a thick plume of black smoke, as black as ink, billowed out of the exhaust pipe, instantly filling the entire rear area of ​​the control room.

"Cough cough cough!"

Elder Wang Teng, who was recording data nearby, jumped up, choked by the black smoke, and waved his hand to disperse the smoke: "Chairman Jia! What... what's going on? Why has the exhaust gas from our factory turned black? This smell... it's simply an affront to nature!"

Jia Zhuang frowned and glanced down at the tractor's instrument panel.

The pointer representing the "filter system load" was firmly stuck in the red limit zone, and was even shaking wildly, as if it could explode at any moment.

[System Prompt]

[Warning! Warning! The interdimensional psionic compressor is operating under overload conditions.]

The excessive impurities in the spiritual energy entering Earth (including industrial waste gas, vehicle exhaust, and household fumes) have clogged the 'primary spiritual energy filter'.

[Current status: Filtration system failed, exhaust gases are being emitted directly.]

"Tsk, troublesome."

Jia Zang impatiently patted the steering wheel. "Although Earth's resources are abundant, their quality is terrible. It's full of these messy impurities, clogging up our advanced equipment."

"Chairman Jia, how about... we halt production for maintenance?" Wang Teng suggested cautiously. "The dark clouds in the sky are getting thicker and thicker, and I see some disciples below already complaining."

"Production halted? Are you kidding me!"

Jia Zhuang's eyes widened. "This is the crucial period for ramping up production. A minute of shutdown means a loss of hundreds of spirit stones! What's a little bit of black smoke? Don't cultivators have dust-avoiding spells? Just let them create their own protective shields, won't that solve the problem?"

"But……"

"There's no 'but' about it!"

Jia Zhuang waved his hand, interrupting Wang Teng, "System, is there any way to solve this problem without stopping production?"

[System Prompt]

[The host is facing an 'environmental pollution' crisis.]

[System assessment: Crisis is an opportunity, pollution is a business opportunity.]

[Unlocking new product blueprints for you: [Air Purification Talisman (Magic Item Version)], [Industrial Grade Dust Mask (Rune Reinforced Type)].]

[Recommendation: Start production immediately and market the 'gas mask' as an essential item to the entire sect.]

Jia Zhuang's eyes lit up.

Yup!

Since the environment is polluted, isn't selling face masks a sure-fire way to make money? It's like how selling air purifiers can make a fortune when there's severe smog on Earth, let alone in this cultivation world where air quality is extremely sensitive?

"Wang Teng!"

Jia Zhuang suddenly stood up, a capitalist's signature sly grin spreading across his face.

"exist!"

"Forget about the exhaust pipe, let it stay black! The blacker the better!"

Jia Zang pointed to the production line, "Immediately adjust the production line. Stop using the materials originally intended for making 'amulet' products. Use them all to produce this!"

He casually sketched an ugly mask that looked like a pig's snout on a piece of paper.

"This is called the 'Qingyun Brand All-Around Protection Rune Mask.' Wearing it will protect you from not only black smoke, but even toxic fumes!"

Wang Teng stared at the sketch, completely bewildered: "This... would anyone buy this? It looks like a monster."

"What do you know!"

Jia Zang explained confidently, "In the current cultivation world, spiritual energy is life itself! It's all poisonous smoke outside, who dares to breathe it out? As long as they're afraid of dying, they'll definitely buy it! As for the price... let's set it at fifty spirit stones each! Limited edition!"

"Fifty spirit stones?!"

Wang Teng gasped. "This is more expensive than a low-grade flying sword! Who would buy it?"

"Not buying? Then let them inhale all that black smoke until they go mad!"

Jia Zhuang snorted coldly, "Go and tell the disciples below that this is 'heavenly calamity,' and only by wearing the magical artifacts specially made by my Qingyun Heavy Industries can they preserve their cultivation!"

……

Half an hour later.

At the entrance to Luoxia Peak.

The black smoke in the sky was so thick that visibility was less than ten meters. The once serene cultivation sect now looked like a slum in London during the Industrial Revolution.

A group of outer disciples gathered in front of the mountain gate, covering their mouths and noses with worried expressions.

"Senior brother, this smoke is too toxic! I just tried to circulate my internal energy, but I inhaled some of the fumes, and now my dantian is full of turbid energy, causing my cultivation to regress by two levels!"

"Yes! The sect leader is in seclusion, and the elders are nowhere to be found. What should we do?"

"I heard... I heard this was produced by Elder Jia's factory..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't you want to live anymore?"

Just as everyone was discussing and feeling hopeless, the door to the control room suddenly opened.

Jia Zang, dressed in a sharp suit (although it was made from coarse cloth) and white gloves, stood on a high step with a mountain of "pig snout masks" behind him.

"Fellow disciples! Fellow Daoists!"

Jia Zhuang cleared his throat and shouted, "I know everyone is in pain right now, and seeing this sky full of black smoke breaks my heart! This is a test from Heaven, a 'Great Industrial Calamity'!"

"But! I, Jia Zhuang, will never watch everyone suffer!"

With a wave of his hand, his disciples brought out several samples.

"To help everyone overcome this difficult time, Qingyun Heavy Industry worked overnight to produce this 'Averting Calamity Divine Shield'! It has built-in triple-filter runes that can block 99.9% of harmful spiritual energy! Simply wear it, and it will not only protect you from poison but also purify the spiritual energy you inhale, aiding your cultivation!"

The crowd stirred.

Does it really work?

"It looks so ugly..."

"How much?"

"Not expensive!"

Jia Zang held up one hand, gesturing a number, "Only fifty spirit stones! You won't regret it! This is a lifesaver!"

"Fifty spirit stones? Why don't you just rob someone!" someone in the crowd protested.

"Rob?"

Jia Zhuang sneered, pointing to the thick, dark clouds in the sky. "If you don't wear it, your meridians will be blocked by the waste gas. You'll have to go to the Pill Hall to buy a Marrow Cleansing Pill, which costs a hundred spirit stones! And it might not even cure you! Now, fifty spirit stones will buy you peace of mind. Do the math yourselves!"

These words instantly struck a nerve with everyone.

The greatest fear for cultivators is damage to their foundation. Compared to the enormous medical expenses that may be incurred in the future, fifty spirit stones really seem insignificant.

"I want one!"

"Me too! Save one for me!"

"Don't push! I have spirit stones!"

The crowd erupted in an instant. The disciples who had previously complained about the mask's ugliness were now fighting each other to buy the "Calamity-Avoiding Divine Shield."

Wang Teng stood aside, watching the spirit stones flow into the money box like water, his hands trembling.

"Chairman Jia...this...we've already sold five hundred! We've made...made twenty-five thousand spirit stones!"

Jia Zhuang calmly tapped his cigarette ash, watching the frenzied crowd buying things without any emotion, and even felt a little amused.

"This is nothing!"

He looked at the sect's main hall shrouded in black smoke in the distance, a wicked smile curving his lips.

"Once this storm passes, I'm going to launch a 'Home Air Purifier (Spirit Gathering Array Improved Version),' and then I'll make them lay bare their entire savings!"

[Livestream chat]

Holy crap! Is this profiteering from national disaster? I love it!

[The one in front is called a 'pig on the wind' (meaning someone who rides the wave of opportunity); Chairman Jia understands economics.]

[Hilarious! Those disciples thought it was a heavenly tribulation, but it was actually Chairman Jia's man-made disaster.]

Isn't this just like selling air purifiers on smoggy days? History always repeats itself.

Chairman Jia: As long as we don't give up, there are always more solutions than problems.

Is this the true face of capitalists? I love it!

Jia Zang had no idea that his actions, while bringing him immense wealth in a short period, would also completely alter the landscape of the cultivation world.

The black smoke in the sky grew thicker and thicker, even condensing into black raindrops that began to fall in a drizzling patter.

The raindrops carried a pungent, acidic smell as they fell on the bluestone slabs, making a hissing, corrosive sound.

The first "acid rain" in the cultivation world has arrived.

Meanwhile, Jia Zang was standing in the rain, counting the spirit stones, laughing like a two-hundred-pound child.

"Cool!"

He tossed a bag of spirit stones to Wang Teng, "Extra food tonight! Stew spirit chicken for the workers! They'll need to be well-fed to have the energy to continue making masks!"

"Yes, Chairman Jia!"

Wang Teng excitedly accepted the money bag; he had now become Jia Zang's most loyal follower.

In his view, Chairman Jia was practically a living bodhisattva, capable of conjuring up all sorts of magical treasures and leading everyone to "get rich" in the face of disaster.

As for that little bit of environmental pollution?

Hmph, as long as it makes money, what does it matter if there's black smoke or even if it creates a hole in the sky?

[System Prompt]

[Congratulations, host! You have successfully earned your second fortune by selling gas masks.]

[Gained 20000 Honkai Points.]

[Current total Collapse Value: 70000 points.]

[New achievement unlocked: 'Smog Maker'.]

[Achievement Reward: Unlocks the 'Acid Rain Collector' blueprint (can convert acid rain into highly corrosive 'Corpse Dissolving Water' for sale).]

Jia Zhuang's eyes lit up again as he looked at the system notification.

"Corpse-dissolving water? That's a hot commodity in the cultivation world!"

He looked at the black rain falling from the sky, and it seemed to him not as a disaster, but as a sky full of gold coins.

"System, you're truly my great help!"

Jia Zhuang patted the tractor's dashboard. "Let's go! Let's go collect 'heavenly rain'!"

"Rat-a-tat ...

The tractor started again, billowing even thicker black smoke, and rushed into the rain.

Only a group of cultivators wearing "pig snout masks" remained, shivering in the acid rain, yet still deeply grateful to Jia Zang.

"Elder Jia is truly a kind man! If it weren't for him, we would be corroded by the poisonous rain right now!"

"Yes, yes! This mask is a bit expensive, but it really works!"

As Jia Zhuang sat in the driver's seat, listening to the discussions outside, his smile deepened.

"Stupid natives."

He shook his head dismissively. "The real big business will come when I've drained your spiritual energy, ruined your environment, and then sold you tickets for the 'immigrant spaceship'!"

The rain grew heavier, shrouding the entire Qingyun Sect in gloom.

Beneath this gloom, a seed called "industrial civilization" is taking root and sprouting wildly, devouring the flesh and blood of this ancient world.