The Programmer Cultivator

However, with countless cultivators, there were always myriad paths to power. Just as a new way was forged when the Divine Dao was forbidden and Earth Spirits were brought down, the cultivators of Hongmeng developed a new form of teleportation after the traditional methods were banned, following many years of research.

Traditional teleportation involved creating wormholes. The new method, however, is less like teleportation and more like a transfer.

Since they couldn’t open a wormhole from point A to point B, cultivators devised another solution. They would no longer shatter space to create wormholes; instead, they would use a Grotto Heaven as a transfer point.

You enter a Grotto Heaven at point A and exit at point B. While not technically teleportation, it achieves the same effect. The only difference is that you don’t arrive in an instant, but instead pass through a Grotto Heaven transfer point.

However, this method has rather high requirements for the transit hub. At a minimum, a mobile Cave Mansion space is needed to set up a preliminary hub, and even then, it can only establish a few spatial anchor points.

To establish a wide-ranging network of anchor points across All of Hongmeng, a Grotto Heaven that could move and float freely would be necessary.

As for those fixed, immobile Secret Realms, they couldn’t be used to create anchor points across Hongmeng because they could only connect to the fixed space immediately surrounding them.

After all, a fixed Secret Realm is essentially just a local Mirror Space. It’s merely a fold in reality; wherever you enter from is where you will exit.

A Grotto Heaven, however, is different. In a sense, it has already taken the first step toward becoming a separate world. Of course, this is just the first step, like laying the first foundation stone for a ten-thousand-mile wall. The journey ahead is vast, but it is a start nonetheless.

Because of this, the fees for teleportation are extremely high. After all, it’s usually Blessed Lands collecting the tolls, and you’re passing right through their core territory.

It wasn’t just teleportation. Nowadays, any Magical Artifacts in Hongmeng that involved spatial manipulation were the same—each one cost a fortune. Take the Small Shifting Talisman, for instance. It used to be classified as a Two-Star Order Token.

Now, it’s a Three-Star item, but its price is comparable to a Three-Star Storage Pouch—or even more expensive. Can you believe it?

Why is that?

Because for a modern Teleportation Talisman to work, a temporary spatial transfer hub must be sealed within the talisman itself. This kind of processing with Space Techniques requires a master with considerable skill.

Under these circumstances, if you went to all the trouble of transporting one hundred Spirit Nurturing Beads to sell in another Blessed Land... the shipping costs alone would make tofu sell for the price of meat!

At Tong Hou’s words, everyone looked at him with varied expressions and fell into a brief silence.

”Does anyone else have anything to discuss?” Zhang Deming asked, seeing this.

After a moment of contemplation, Nangong Cheng (Speaking Lotus) suddenly asked, ”Can we discuss matters of cooperation?”

Zhang Deming paused for a moment before nodding. ”Of course. Now that the regional division has been formally established, this council has been allotted plenty of time. Feel free to say whatever is on your mind.”

Hearing this, Nangong Cheng glanced around at the others before speaking. ”A while ago, Huineng of Leiyin Temple had a fortuitous encounter and formed his nascent origin. We all thought his vow was a dead end.

Unexpectedly, after returning to his Blessed Land, he discovered a whole new perspective on fulfilling his vow. Now, he’s scouring the world for traces of the Demon Path.

He and I are on good personal terms, thanks to a few encounters. And as it happens, the Sects surrounding the Celestial Spirit Sect are currently plagued by the disasters caused by the Five Elements Remnants.

So, I was already planning to work with him. Now that the Alliance has issued a related mission, I intend to take advantage of this favorable situation, ride his coattails, and get the job done.

Therefore, if any of you are currently unattached, you might consider cooperating with me on the relief efforts. With Huineng taking care of the Remnants, we would only need to focus on quickly completing the disaster relief part of the mission.

Besides, Huineng has now formed his origin, and his method for fulfilling his vow has its own universe of possibilities. He’s already a rising star in Leiyin Temple. If we team up with him, our safety is absolutely guaranteed. Of course, if you all have your own Sect missions, then just forget I said anything.”

Zhang Deming’s expression flickered. ’Is he... starting to recruit allies and build a faction within the Alliance?’

’Nangong Cheng is a disciple of the Academy, and the Dean’s personal disciple at that. They’re a new power bloc and don’t have Affiliated Families like the Celestial Spirit Sect. That means Huayue Academy only needs to look after Huayue City.’

’Given that, the Academy should have plenty of disciples to deploy. Their manpower should be more than sufficient; they have no real need to seek outside cooperation.’

’So for Nangong Cheng to be looking for partners under these circumstances... it’s pretty obvious what his motives are.’

Zhang Deming looked at Nangong Cheng and asked, ”Isn’t Huineng’s vow something like, ’So long as Hell is not empty, so long as the Demon Path is not extinguished, I shall never attain Buddhahood’? What hidden depths could there possibly be in fulfilling a vow like that?”

Nangong Cheng paused, his expression becoming profound. ”But the state of being a Buddha and the ultimate attainment of Buddhahood can be viewed as separate. What if for every demon he kills, he repays a portion of his vow, taking one step forward on his path? What if, when the Demon Path is finally eradicated from the world, he then becomes the ultimate Buddha?”

Hearing this, Zhang Deming’s eyes went wide. ”You can interpret a vow that way?” he exclaimed. ”Doesn’t that transform his dead-end vow into a supreme grand vow?”

Nangong Cheng said with that same enigmatic expression, ”Tell me about it. I was stunned too when I first heard that interpretation of his vow.”

Zhang Deming was speechless. After a long moment, he finally said, ”Those Wish Cultivators from Spirit Mountain... they’ve really mastered the concept of buying on credit, haven’t they...”

Nangong Cheng didn’t reply to that. He glanced around and noticed that everyone was silent, their expressions unreadable, and no one had responded to his invitation. He paused for a moment, then said, ”There’s no need to answer immediately. Anyone who’s interested can later go to Huayue Academy in Huayue City and give them your call sign. I will welcome you personally.”

With that, Nangong Cheng leaned back in his chair.