The Programmer Cultivator

This meant they were effectively paying one hundred Contribution, Qu Qingxian five hundred, and Zhang Wu two thousand.

Qu Qingxian paused for a moment, then said, “Steward Zhang, you’re the one in charge of this district. You should make the choice.”

Qu Qingxian’s statement earned everyone’s approval. While they were all well aware of the benefits of these Alliance functions through features like the basic welfare package, no one had been willing to take the initiative and request a specific one.

Zhang Wu grimaced upon hearing this. After a moment of deliberation, he said with a pained look, “Sigh… so be it!”

With a sigh, Zhang Wu bowed to Elder Huang and said, “Elder Huang, we choose the Cargo Path!”

“A wise choice!”

Elder Huang nodded. He held out his hand, and the Book of All Living Beings flew into it. With a single tap, countless Runes flew out from its pages.

“In response to the Celestial Spirit Calamity, Alliance Disciples entered the world to save all living beings and accumulate Merit. As encouragement, the Alliance hereby activates the Cargo Path!

Henceforth, to exchange goods or transport items between members of the Celestial Spirit, you need only inscribe the specific Array Patterns while both parties simultaneously recite the Spell Order!

Note: The Cargo Path is a primary regional function. As such, it is a partially charged service!

Each member may use the Cargo Path for free once every ten days, for a total cargo volume not exceeding half a cubic measure. For additional uses that do not exceed the volume limit, the cost is ten Contribution for the first use, twenty for the second, forty for the third, and so on, doubling each time.

If you exceed the volume limit but not the usage frequency, the cost increases by one hundred Contribution for each additional cubic inch.

Exceeding both the volume and usage limits will trigger a special procedure, with the final cost determined by the specific circumstances. Other than the limits on frequency and volume, the ‘Cargo Path’ has no other restrictions. In principle, there are no prohibited items for transport.”

As Elder Huang finished speaking, the countless Runes transformed into streams of light and sank into everyone’s bodies.

A strange yet simple, circular Array Map surfaced in their minds, and they were all taken aback.

‘This looks like a highly simplified diagram of an Ancient Teleportation Array? But hasn’t teleportation completely lost its effectiveness?’

While Li Shifan stared blankly at the Array Patterns in his mind, his thoughts raced. The others around him wore similarly varied expressions.

Elder Huang paused for a moment before continuing, “Now that you’ve chosen the function, the Contribution reward for this mission will be just the base amount of ten.”

Everyone’s face lit up with joy. They had assumed they’d be getting nothing at all; they hadn’t expected a consolation prize. For most of them, whose savings were at zero, ten Contribution was already quite good.

For someone in debt like Li Shifan, it felt like an absolute windfall.

“Besides activating the function, there is another matter I summoned you here to announce.” As he spoke, Elder Huang held out his hand, and the special Rune that had been floating nearby drifted onto his palm.

Everyone looked at the Rune and seemed to guess what it was. One by one, their gazes grew more intense.

Elder Huang held the Rune aloft and said, “For certain reasons, the Alliance added a great treasure to this mission. I expect you all have some idea of what it is.

“That’s right. This in my hand is one of the Alliance’s core treasures: the Heaven and Earth Seal.

“The Heaven and Earth Seal. It imprints Heaven and Earth and is bestowed upon a living being, granting them the world’s blessing. Any Alliance member who obtains this item, without exception, becomes a peerless Great Cultivator.

“Obtaining it is a matter of pure fated opportunity, something even I cannot influence. And this time, one such lucky individual is here among you.”

Elder Huang paused and scanned the room before continuing, “You all performed well during this disaster relief mission, but the most outstanding performances belonged to Dragon and Snake (Qin Shizhong) and Summoning Spirit (Zhang Deming).

“They saved the common people from untold suffering, guided the masses through the Red Dust, rebuilt a nation from its foundations, and established a dynasty to last generations. This is considered a great act of Merit.

“In terms of pure effort and impact, Summoning Spirit (Zhang Deming) likely holds a slight edge. However, the Heaven and Earth Seal contains the essence of Qiankun itself; even the Alliance cannot fully control it.

“Therefore, each time the Heaven and Earth Seal is to be bestowed, the Alliance selects two candidates and allows the Seal itself to choose. This avoids the karmic repercussions of forcing it upon a designated recipient.

“This time, while momentum was on the side of Summoning Spirit (Zhang Deming), fortune, unfortunately, favored Dragon and Snake (Qin Shizhong). All one can say is that it is a matter of fate. In the path of cultivation, fortune is a critical component.”

When Elder Huang finished, everyone turned to stare at Qin Shizhong with the most peculiar expressions. One had to remember that Qin Shizhong had already been blessed by a massive windfall once before, having experienced the advancement benefit.

‘For it to happen again… Could this guy be blessed with immense Qi Fortune?!’

Qin Shizhong was stunned for a second, then overcome with ecstasy. But his expression quickly changed. After a moment of internal struggle, he suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and asked, “Elder Huang, may I give up this opportunity?”

Everyone froze. They might not have seen the effects of the Heaven and Earth Seal, but they had witnessed the most basic advancement benefit, which let a person get just a glimpse of the feeling of being at a higher realm.

If the simple, basic advancement benefit was already that powerful, one could only imagine the power of its ultimate version, the Heaven and Earth Seal.

‘And as the one who benefited from it before, shouldn’t Qin Shizhong understand its value better than anyone? So why is he…?’

The expression on Summoning Spirit (Zhang Deming) changed. He grabbed Qin Shizhong and pulled him back, then forced a smile at Elder Huang. “Elder Huang, he’s not thinking clearly. Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

Elder Huang paused, looked between the two of them, and shook his head. “Ah, it’s good to be young!”

His sigh prompted the others to look at Zhang Deming and Qin Shizhong, their expressions unreadable.

Elder Huang sighed, paused for a moment, then looked at Qin Shizhong and continued, “Little fellow, what do you think this Heaven and Earth Seal is?

“Something you can claim or refuse as you please?

“Never mind that you haven’t even been fully recognized by the Seal yet. Even if you did give it up, this spot wouldn’t just pass to the person you think it would. You would only be throwing away this chance to receive the Seal for nothing.

“Furthermore, with a treasure this great, you will likely never have another such fated opportunity in this lifetime. You must understand the principle: to refuse a gift from heaven is to invite calamity!”

Elder Huang’s words, coupled with Zhang Deming’s actions, gave Qin Shizhong pause. He seemed stunned for a moment before finally saying, “I… I understand.”

“It’s good to have such a heart, but it’s best saved for the right occasion!” Elder Huang said, looking at Qin Shizhong with a slight pause. “However, to have a couple of Daoist friends in your life worthy of such a sacrifice is a blessing in itself. It prevents one from walking the path of cultivation only to lose their way in the end!”