Chapter 300

The old Daoist named Black Sun Heaven secretly imparted mysterious, secret teachings to Ji Huan Yu face to face.

That's just how the world is.

If you say you came here to the human tribe to trade and make money, then the administrators here will treat you strictly by the book.

They won't open a green channel for you; for everything you must honestly follow the rules, line up, wait...

But if you change your wording, emphasizing that your intention to invest and build factories here is to help the human tribe solve various survival needs, provide core technology to promote civilization level upgrades... then it's easier to obtain some special privileges and patronage.

For example, during bidding, or if you clash with other beings doing business here... they'll slightly give you covert favoritism.

If you donate first, proving your sincerity with real money?" Black Sun Heaven chuckled hehe, "Then the favoritism will be greater— the green channel will be open to you, market data will be available for you to consult, preferential plans for you to choose!

Some regulars here, as soon as they arrive among the human tribe, make a donation... this has become an unwritten rule.

And those newcomers, clueless, unaware of giving the host face, as they go along discover they can't move an inch, and moreover don't know why.

Ji little brother, fortunately you met me... if it were someone else, they wouldn't know how many hidden losses they'd suffer!

Ji Huan Yu smacked his lips, racked his brains, thought hard for a moment, but couldn't come up with any slick talk; he could only raise his thumb.

Black Sun Heaven Elder Brother's golden words, I've been enlightened.

Elder Brother is awesome, and this human tribe... is also pretty awesome.

Ji Huan Yu sighed.

He had previously imagined the present human tribe to be so simple and sincere, various warm-hearted enthusiasm... turns out it's completely not like that!

It already possessed a simple organizational prototype, and had established a relatively fair win-win reciprocity, the principle of repaying kindness with kindness.

Whoever treats me well, I favor... as for how to judge good or bad?

And they don't listen to your flowery talk.

Just pull out the donation list and take a look.

Simple, brutal, but one must admit it works wonders.

After all, sentient beings' thoughts are unfathomable; you may know their face but not their heart— one moment they love you to death, the next they hate you to the bone; various external influences make good and bad hard to judge.

But this donation of resources and technology is solid; no matter what, the human tribe won't lose out.

It can even save a considerable portion of management costs, without needing to rack one's brains guessing people's likes and dislikes— just spend money on construction.

But doing this, the human tribe also needs great appeal, able to make others willingly donate... is that reliable?

Ji Huan Yu followed Black Sun Heaven to the human tribe's donation center.

On the way, he curiously asked.

Of course!

Black Sun Heaven didn't even blink, 'The human tribe now has a geographical advantage— as the saying goes, rely on the mountains and eat from the mountains!'

Relying on Mount Buzhou, the human tribe is born literally on a gold mine!

The old black Daoist sighed, 'Mount Buzhou, Pangu's spine... think about it seriously and you'll know how rich and vast the resources hidden here are!'

But in the past, these resources were hard for outsiders to obtain... because the Wu Clan was there.

With the Wu Clan as this local tyrant, their main base is right here, and they control things so strictly— who could lay a hand on them?

Only after the human tribe was established did the situation change.

I don't know what tremendous power Nüwa Mother possessed, to not only create the human tribe here out of nothing, but also let the human tribe begin developing right in place, while the Wu Clan didn't utter a word, turning a blind eye.

The human tribe can mine the resources hidden in Mount Buzhou.

Moreover, this place itself is sacred ground for cultivation.

Combining these two aspects attracted countless cultivators of various races, who crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, traversed the vast expanse, to come here.

The human tribe sells the mined resources, exchanging them for various cultivation civilization technology products, and sets up factories, researches technology, sprinting forward in civilization development.

It's only been a few years since then.

Here in the human tribe, there is a trend to develop into the core great factory of the present Honghuang era.

Abundant resources, superior environment, absorbing various civilizations' cultivation techniques... many discerning people can see that the human tribe will be a radiant star rising in the coming period.

Ji Huan Yu listened, his brows slightly furrowed, as if in thought.

Black Sun Heaven the old Daoist continued explaining, 'As long as nothing unexpected happens, the human tribe's future is bright... then why would placing assets here fear that the growth speed won't be fast enough?'

Thus, more and more cultivators of various civilizations began to place an investment branch here.

The returns they got also didn't disappoint them— as long as they were willing to put in effort, they could profit.

By comparison, donating money for the human tribe's development is hardly a hardship— many beings are also willing to use this to exchange for various privileges and benefits.

In this light, the human tribe's life is truly good." Ji Huan Yu praised loudly, suddenly pointing at a huge torch-like object not far away, "What is that?"

It's the Holy Fire Altar." Black Sun Heaven glanced and said, "The human tribe recently raised a slogan, to hold the grandest ever ten-thousand-tribe sports meet!"

In publicity, they say it's a condensation of the human tribe's development from birth to present achievements, to display their style before the endless tribes of Honghuang.

Not long ago, a member of the human tribe's leader— Yun Ruo took the stage to speak, saying that the birth of the human tribe was merely a spark, but now it has grown into a prairie fire, spreading light and heat across the universe.

He also said that the human tribe's development is the manifestation of humaneness' brilliance, the blossoming of civilization's splendor, the most gorgeous embodiment of the endless, ceaseless flame of life.

The spirit of fire, the will of fire... basically he went on and on about all that.

Black Sun Heaven the old Daoist chuckled hehe, 'It counts as a display and summary of the human tribe's civilization development achievements— pretty high and mighty.'

It is said that a great sage of the human tribe ran around, visiting all the cultivators of various races who had arrived here, listening to their civilization epics, extracting the historical sediment to turn into kindling fire stones, so as to finally ignite a trace of refined fire representing the highest commonality of civilization.

Ignite?" Ji Huan Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Then the person who lights the fire should be called a 'fire-driller' right?"

Should be." The old Daoist leisurely stroked his white beard, a smile in his eyes, "I've heard that because of this, quite a few interesting things have happened lately."

You've come at just the right time... look over there!

Black Sun Heaven pointed with his hand.

Ji Huan Yu followed the gaze and saw a cultivator in human form being lifted and dragged away by several human tribe brawny men.

That cultivator was unwilling, struggling desperately, shouting loudly without cease.

I won't accept this!

There's a hidden agenda here!

I lit the fire, so why do I have no merit?

This drew the attention of many onlookers.

They whispered and muttered, 'Look… another one's gone crazy!'

It's you who are crazy, it's this world that's crazy, I'm not the one who's crazy!

The cultivator shouted angrily, 'I'm the Chosen One, what do you know!'

Yes, yes, yes, you are the Chosen One, the one chosen by the Upper Heaven to change the world, a child of fate…… The human burly man leading him along said with a headache, 'But we humans also have the Saint Nüwa who carries out Heaven's will as an object of worship, and she can reach Heaven's will even better than you!'

Besides, we humans have our own rules; this is not a place for others to run amok.

Hey friend, you didn't file in advance, yet you forcibly gathered some of our people together, forced them to watch your unique performance art—watching you pound a few sticks and fire stones back and forth, lighting the flame then extinguishing it, over and over……

Besides that, you also created writing, created weights and measures, created currency…… Our people have suffered a huge mental shock at your hands!

Just how incompetent do you think we humans are?

At the very least, we are a race personally created by the Goddess Nüwa; we are registered as special relations in the Heavenly Court and can apply for civilizational development aid.

Writing, weights and measures, etc., are already aligned with the Demon Race—why would we need to create a whole new set?

Do you know you're creating inter-ethnic conflict?

The burly man lectured, as he and a few companions escorted the cultivator away, 'Unless our humans one day break away from the Demon Race to go solo, confirm an independent orthodoxy, will we cut these traces and create new writing and new law.'

……

He Ri Tian and Ji Huan Yu watched as an eccentric cultivator was escorted away.

He Ri Tian was fine, his expression calm and composed, as if he'd seen too many similar examples.

As for Ji Huan Yu, his mouth twisted and eyes slanted, wanting to laugh but holding it in, afraid that if he laughed he'd go crazy—too bad for his image.

After suppressing it for a while, he finally pushed down his laughter, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, 'This… this is really too interesting.'

'Yeah, it's really interesting.' He Ri Tian said with a light smile, 'But I just don't know why such situations have occurred many, many times over the years.'

'Moreover, they're almost all exactly the same……'

'Regarding this, a friend of mine among the humans told me he suspects it's a premeditated, organized move to smear human civilization, backed by an evil gang, aimed at making all mankind think humans are hopelessly backward, that everyone is starving and underclothed, that even basic needs can't be met, and that the people are foolish and numb.'

'So…'

'So what?' Ji Huan Yu pressed.

'So in dealing with them, we'll conduct a special trial, placing these cultivators who did the same thing together to cross-identify, hoping to catch the mastermind.'

'On another front, using the connection with the Goddess Nüwa, we will raise the voice of humanity in the Heavenly Court, expressing stern protest and condemning the Heavenly Court's legal shortcomings…… If this continues long-term and the problem cannot be effectively resolved, humanity will spare no means to protect its reputation.'

'At the same time, we will firmly protest the serious loopholes in the Heavenly Court's management system that fail to safeguard the interests of its major member peoples, possibly submitting a withdrawal application from the Demon Race, to be decided by a popular vote of the peoples.'

Ji Huan Yu heard this and broke out in a cold sweat.

He gazed into the distance, could still faintly see the silhouette of the cultivator who had been escorted away, secretly shook his head, and felt many emotions.

'What's going on, I now understand as well.'

'Those seeking to reap big gains without effort have stumbled into the strategic contest between two factions—one harboring sinister intentions, the other plotting rebellion—and are being used as pawns……'

'The ancient sages were right…… In this world, many small advantages cannot be taken.'

He reflected on what he had seen and heard after arriving among humans, and his inner conviction grew stronger.

He also realized that the waters behind humanity are not ordinary deep; they could bury many people.

'Tsk…… Protagonist of heaven and earth? Protagonist of heaven and earth!'

'There's something mysterious behind it!'

'I kind of regret it…… Could it be that I fled the war only to rush into the most brutal battlefield?'

Ji Huan Yu furrowed his brow.

However, although he was somewhat hesitant, he also had no intention of withdrawing from humanity.

After all, in this era there really aren't many places where one can find peace.

'Enough, enough, enough…… we'll take it step by step.'

He no longer hesitated, relaxed his mindset, and under the leadership of the slick He Ri Tian entered the human donation center, donated a sum, and as wished obtained the special certificate.

On this certificate, the number of stars indicates the rank, reflecting the amount of donated resources or technology, thereby allowing different treatment; it is humanity's tiered partnership.

Once he had this certificate in hand.

Just as He Ri Tian had said before, everything becomes much easier.

Want to engage in trade?

The staff of the relevant department then handed him a data sheet listing which fields have the highest returns, which fields are fiercely competitive, appearing profitable but actually suffering severe involution……

This even spares on-site investigation, yet it's still the most accurate result.

As for founding a sect and passing down the Dao?

In a short time, they immediately helped him select a site on a grand map.

Where is this?

It's Buzhou!

It's a supreme cultivation pure land!

Every inch of land is extremely precious.

But preciousness also has levels.

Some can be negotiated for purchase.

Some simply won't be put on the market; you can't buy them unless you have connections.

Or, by opening the way through donations, you can forcibly acquire connections.

Humans are the landlords of this place.

Which place has a better environment, more suitable for cultivation—no one knows it better than they do.

To those living beings who have shown kindness to humans, they repay the favor by offering their very best places, pointing out where to buy, for use as a site to teach the Dao lineage.

In any case, in the end humans aren't losing out either… after all, they have plenty of talent.

Which teacher taking on disciples wouldn't want a good disciple?

Humans are right here—what's there to fear about not getting the advantage of being near the water?

……

Ji Huanyu walked around, tallied the accounts, and was shocked to discover that humans actually weren't losing at all.

"This Dao-lineage teaching tied to donations and property—who was the genius who came up with it?" he asked Heiritian, "Could you tell me his name?"

"Ha… I actually know this one."

Heiritian laughed heartily, "It's Youchao!"

(End of chapter)