Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Mother White Lotus’s confusion was also what puzzled the other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. All the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector commented with mixed feelings again before Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar and Master Bitter Cicada began to tell their story.

Back in the Ancient Sages Sector, Ba Xiaoyu had always hung around with ordinary people and helped those in need, and Master Bitter Cicada had tried his best to save as many people as possible, too.

Therefore, the field that they had requested to inspect was the charity and public welfare of the federation. They wanted to see how the underprivileged people at the bottom level of society were treated.

Thus, they had visited a few orphanages and relief stations. They had also gone deep into the underground mines of the Uranian Ring Planet to check on the treatment of miners and their families, especially the children.

“We’ve seen quite a few schools with rather thorough facilities on the ground. The students are all the offspring of the ordinary miners, but quite a few of their teachers are Cultivators. Some of them are even experts who have volunteered to come here from the core worlds to teach!”

Ba Xiaoyu still felt amazed when he recalled what he had seen during the day. “Of all the Cultivators who have volunteered to teach here, some were summoned to make contributions to the poor and remote areas by certain spirits. For example, those from the Patriots Front. However, most of them are actually hired by various funds. Even the schools, hospitals, orphanages, and water purification factories are subsidized by those funds!”

“Fellow Cultivator Ba is quite right. The ‘funds’ seem to be the main force in the federation in offering help to the poor and the ordinary people,” Master Bitter Cicada said. “The Star Glory Federation is a country with high taxes. The tax rate for the Cultivators is particularly high. According to the speed of money-earning of some high-level Cultivators who are like cash-absorbing beasts, they have to pay astronomical taxes every year.

“However, the tax law in the federation is very interesting. If you invest your income into the funds that are established for public welfare, you will legally be able to avoid tax.

“Therefore, in order to pay less tax, the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators have established all kinds of charity funds. Almost every one of them has several funds under their name.

“The establishment and operation of the charity funds have certain requirements. Those funds are audited every year, too, to make sure that they have indeed completed a certain number of charity projects.

“After a hundred years of development, the charity funds in the federation have already formed a virtuous cycle.

“The experts in the Core Formation Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage provide resources and connections to establish all kinds of funds, partly to improve their reputation and partly to avoid tax.

“New Cultivators, especially those born in the lower-class who do not have many resources and connections, often choose to join a fund after their spiritual root is awakened and offer their service in a remote, underdeveloped area for a while. Through the fund, they can expand their social circle and make new friends. If their performance is distinguished, they may even catch the attention of the owners of the funds and thereby have a chance to work in the corporations under the name of the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. In a few years, they might even be able to enter the core circle of the organization.

“Right now, most Core Formation Stage Cultivators and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators require that the candidates have a lot of work experience in charity funds when they recruit disciples, especially true disciples. It is a common understanding among the Cultivators that only such disciples are determined and pure enough to pass on their knowledge to.”

Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar and Master Bitter Cicada spoke with great enthusiasm. The two of them were both straightforward people who did not care about manners. When he reached the exciting parts, Ba Xiaoyu even slapped his own thigh hard.

All the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector were attracted and deep in thought.

The modern flying swords, shuttles, crystal trains, crystal suits, and starships, however sophisticated and extraordinary, were still comprehensible for them after they considered it more carefully.

However, it would take them a fairly long time to fully digest and accept the system, or rather, the logic of life, functioning in the Star Glory Federation that was entirely different from the one in the Ancient Sages Sector.

After Ba Xiaoyu and Master Bitter Cicada were done, the other experts spoke of their experience in turns. Li Yao took the opportunity to boast about ‘Civilization’ greatly, highly recommending that the experts experience it whether they had time or not.

He believed that those experts would certainly fall in love with such a new world after they enjoyed the charm of ‘Civilization’ and would not bear to leave anymore.

Soon, all eleven experts had finished sharing, and Long Yangjun was the only one who had not said anything yet. With a fake smile, she looked at everybody mysteriously.

Wu Suiyun, one of the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, said, “Fellow Cultivator Wang, you seem rather hesitant. Was there something wrong with your inspection today?”

“Not exactly. It went on very well, but I’m afraid that there’s nothing I care to say.”

Leaning against Li Yao’s bed, Long Yangjun put her feet on the bed and her hands below her head to make herself more comfortable. Then she said, “You all know what I did for a living in the past. I was the leader of Ghost Character, a dog that everybody was scared of and an executioner. My counterparts in the Star Glory Federation are probably the ‘Secret Sword Bureau’ and the ‘Dim Moon Fund’.

“Therefore, I didn’t inspect any other place today, only requesting to know more about the ‘Secret Sword Bureau’, especially the major cases that the agency has cracked in the past hundred years. Naturally, most of the cases were crimes committed by Cultivators.”

“Oh?” Wu Suiyun looked at the other experts and asked, “What have you found?”

“Nothing special. Of course, they wouldn’t have shown me the files if there were anything special in them,” Long Yangjun said lazily. “I only want to offer a reminder to you, fellow Cultivators, and probably to cool your heads. We all know too much about the stories where the emperor put on the clothes of ordinary people, walked on the streets, and saw how he is viewed by his subjects. Did such things happen less in the Great Qian Dynasty before?

“No, no, no. I am not implying that everything we saw today is fake. In fact, I’m certain that it is absolutely real. It is impossible to fake such things on such a large scale.

“However, what we saw today must be what they wanted us to see. It is the best side of the Star Glory Federation. The Cultivators we have got in touch with today are also certainly the purest Cultivators, too.

“But as we all know, nothing is ‘flawless’. Perfect countries do not exist, either. Cultivators who have absolute faith in their belief and always help other people selflessly are few, too. Hehe. I would even say that they are actually too rare for us to meet.

“As our inspection grows deeper, I believe that the imperfect side of the Star Glory Federation will soon be exposed. Therefore, I’m only reminding you not to raise your expectations to a very high level in case your final judgement is affected by your disappointment by then. We must know that…”

There was a fruit tray on the table in the middle of everyone. Long Yangjun curled her fingers and pulled two apples out of the tray. Holding one of them in each of her hands, she smiled and said, “Choosing between the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Star Glory Federation is like choosing between one of the two apples here. You will be wrong if you are hoping to pick the better of them.

“Perhaps we will have to choose ‘the less rotten’ of the two apples.”

Crack!

Long Yangjun picked up a random apple and bit it hard. The juice was flying everywhere.

Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment. They were going to pursue further when she stood up and threw the other apple to Li Yao. Yawning, she said, “The night is dark. We will have to continue our visit tomorrow. It’s time to take a rest, fellow Cultivators!”

…

The establishment of a joint headquarters and also the in-depths military cooperation between the government-in-exile and the Star Glory Federation could never be completed overnight. In the upcoming ten days or so, the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector would stay in the Uranian Ring Sector to inspect more fields.

After getting in touch with ‘Civilization’, and especially after watching the debate between Professor Mo Xuan and Professor Xie Wufeng, Li Yao suddenly felt that he would like to talk with Long Yangjun.

After all, Long Yangjun was different from the other experts of the Ancient Sages Sector. Like Li Yao, she was sort of a ‘player’ who was of a higher level and beyond the chess game.

However, everybody’s itinerary had been fully occupied, and they were protected and monitored by the agents of the Secret Sword Bureau anywhere they went. Also, Long Yangjun intentionally selected a few programs that required her to march deep into the surface and even the underground holes of the Uranian Ring Sector by herself without joining the others.

It was not until twelve days later that Long Yangjun returned to the hotel and they checked in again. Li Yao finally got the opportunity.

This time, it was in Long Yangjun’s room.

Long Yangjun was playing ‘Civilization’.

Her interest did not seem to be on the game itself but ‘Xiao Ming’ and ‘Wen Wen’, the two game assistants. She was tickling the two cute kids, making them laugh hard and hide behind Li Yao.

“Very interesting.”

Long Yangjun turned off the mini crystal processor, and the two little guys immediately vanished into nothingness. Looking at Li Yao, she somehow picked up two apples out of nowhere again and threw one of them to Li Yao. She asked with a smile, “Anything you want to say to me?”

“Yes. Have you seen the video that I sent you? What’s your take on Professor Mo Xuan’s theories on parent and child civilizations and the succession of civilizations?

“In the past, I have always been completely hostile to the Pangu Civilization. I didn’t even like the Nuwa Civilization, either. How should I put it? Scared, wary, and a sense of insecurity. That’s how I felt.

“After all, Gui Suishou, an old senior of the demon race, left an impressive warning for me, which is that a son will be dead for sure if his father wants him dead!

“However, after hearing Professor Mo Xuan’s brand-new theories, I think that I’ve slightly altered my opinions.

“I would like to know more about the ‘parent civilizations’ of mankind. Is it really as simple as what I’ve seen on Kunlun? What exactly is the relationship between Pangu and Nuwa? Were we really simple tools or some sort of ‘child’ to some extent? Did either we or the Pangu Civilization have to die?

“No one else can possibly give me an answer except for you. You even experienced the war in person. Can you tell me more about how Pangu established the universe, Nuwa created human beings, and the things that happened in the primeval war?”