Chapter 149
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Chapter 149: Humanized Taxation
After half a year of traveling, Sha Diao finally made it to Lin Sen Fairy City.
Standing by the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, Sha Diao gazed at the water and sighed, "What a journey. Finally, I’ve reached my destination."
"Is Junior Brother Xu’s sect really built on this massive lake?"
Over the past six months, Sha Diao had been wandering while making his way to Lin Sen Fairy City. Along the way, he got lost a few times due to unfamiliar roads and even ran into some small sects that tried to force him to stay, given his reputation as a top artifact master.
But thanks to his quick thinking, he managed to slip away each time.
Just then, a spiritual boat descended from the sky and landed near Sha Diao.
"Are you Elder Sha? Elder Xu sent me to pick you up. Please, come aboard," Lei Wenxi said.
Without hesitation, Sha Diao stepped onto the spiritual boat.
As they glided over the vast lake, Sha Diao asked, "There must be plenty of beasts in this lake. How does the sect handle them?"
"We don’t need to handle them. The beasts here have already been tamed by the Turtle Mother," Lei Wenxi replied with a grin. "Now, the entire Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake is like the Hidden Spirit Sect’s private garden. The beasts? They’re just ingredients for meals."
"Who’s the Turtle Mother?"
"She’s a Jiao-Headed Turtle at the Transformation Stage. Since we have her children, she’s become the guardian beast of our sect."
"She’s got a small red flower on her head—adorable, really. And her twelve children? They’re now part of the sect’s protective grand formation."
"Many of the senior brothers even catch beasts in the lake to feed the little turtles."
Lei Wenxi, rarely getting the chance to talk to someone new, eagerly shared all the details about the Hidden Spirit Sect.
Sha Diao couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiastic young girl. There was something oddly comforting about this place.
Half an hour later, Lei Wenxi turned to Sha Diao and said, "Elder Sha, we’re about to enter the Hidden Spirit Sect. Before we do, try not to take a deep breath."
"Why’s that?" Sha Diao asked, puzzled.
"You might choke."
As soon as she said that, the spiritual boat passed through a shimmering barrier and vanished.
The scenery shifted instantly. One moment, Sha Diao was looking out over the endless lake; the next, he found himself in what seemed like a celestial palace garden.
"I—"
He nearly gasped for air. The concentration of spiritual energy here was overwhelming.
Seeing Sha Diao’s reaction, Lei Wenxi chuckled, her eyes crinkling. "Don’t worry, Elder Sha. You’ll get used to it."
Once he caught his breath, Sha Diao was left speechless by the breathtaking scene before him.
"This is the sect Junior Brother Xu built? It’s… incredible," Sha Diao muttered, struggling to find the right words.
The spiritual energy here was on a whole different level compared to the inner sect of Que Tian Gate.
His attention was soon drawn to a waterfall in the distance. "Is that… a waterfall of spiritual liquid?"
"Exactly," Lei Wenxi said proudly. "The Spirit Gathering Formation gathers so much spiritual energy that it overflows and cascades down like that. It’s a favorite spot for the disciples."
"A Spirit Gathering Formation of this scale would require at least a hundred fifth-grade precious artifacts to achieve this effect."
"And this protective grand formation… it’s truly awe-inspiring. How did Junior Brother Xu manage to build something so grand in just over a decade?"
At this moment, Sha Diao was eager to see Xu Fan, as he had a lot to talk about.
The spiritual boat slowly descended over Xu Fan’s courtyard.
"Brother Sha, it’s been a while," Xu Fan greeted cheerfully.
Among all his friends, Xu Fan considered Brother Sha to be the most genuine. He was deeply passionate about artifact crafting, had a strong moral character, and was incredibly supportive of his friends. And then there was his name…
What harm could he possibly intend?
"Welcome, Brother Sha," Wang Yulun and his wife greeted.
"Greetings, Master Sha," Wang Xiangchi and Li Xingci said, bowing respectfully.
"It’s great to see old friends again," Sha Diao said with a smile.
"Today, the Hidden Spirit Sect is hosting a feast to celebrate Brother Sha joining us," Xu Fan announced happily.
Five guardian puppets at the Nascent Soul Stage emerged from the sect’s grand formation and dove into the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake to gather ingredients.
That evening, all the disciples enjoyed a lavish meal in the sect’s cafeteria, where they also got acquainted with the new elder.
Following this, the Hidden Spirit Sect established a Celestial Tool Peak, which was also Sha Diao’s ultimate goal.
That night, Xu Fan and Sha Diao chatted in the courtyard. Since the Celestial Tool Peak was still under construction, Sha Diao stayed temporarily in Xu Fan’s courtyard.
"Elder Xu, how did you manage to build such an impressive sect? Did you use puppets for everything?" Sha Diao inquired.
Without hesitation, Xu Fan summoned the Heart of the Puppet and explained the concept of artificial intelligence to Brother Sha.
Upon hearing about artificial intelligence, Sha Diao was completely amazed.
"So, the grand formations and the buildings within the sect were all constructed by puppets controlled by artificial intelligence?" Sha Diao asked in disbelief.
"Not just that, but also the production lines for magic tools and spirit pills," Xu Fan added.
This revelation opened a new world for Sha Diao. Xu Fan then granted him some permissions related to the grape system.
"If you have any questions in the future, you can ask Grape," Xu Fan said.
"Alright," Sha Diao responded eagerly, keen to study all the magic tools Xu Fan had crafted.
"Junior Brother Xu, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you; your skills in artifact crafting have surpassed mine."
"I hope Elder Xu will continue to guide me."
"You’re too kind, Brother Sha. I’ll share everything I know."
Xu Fan and Sha Diao talked late into the night.
The next day, Xu Fan brought Yu Nan and Zhou Kailing back to the Hidden Spirit Sect.
"Yu Nan, your task now is to focus on your cultivation within the sect."
"Kailing, you too. Big changes are coming to the cultivation world, so it’s better to be at a higher cultivation level," Xu Fan advised.
At that time, rumors spread across the cultivation world about the impending merger of the two realms, suggesting that the human race and the beast race would soon invade the Central Continent again.
Xu Fan also received official news from the Elder Council: The fusion of the two realms had begun and would be completed in 15 to 20 years.
Initial conflicts would occur in the Extreme Void Domain, but as the realms connected, the beast race could teleport over, and the human race could travel to the demon realm.
With the onset of the realms’ interaction, the Elder Council abolished annual taxes for all sects, enabling them to protect civilians in their regions and sustain the human race’s foundation.
"The policy is quite considerate," Xu Fan remarked.
However, the policy’s final point reminded him of a concern: The area under the Hidden Spirit Sect’s influence was roughly equivalent to the combined area of his previous world’s flower planting country and the bear country. With the existing issues of beasts in the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake and the addition of the beast race, the Hidden Spirit Sect would clearly need more disciples. It seemed necessary to increase the number of puppet troops.
