Chapter 255: The Sect Master is from Blue Star?
After the deaths of Lang Yun and the others from the Supreme Mysterious Sect, the matter was only briefly discussed within the Supreme Mysterious Sect.
It caused no stir whatsoever in the outside world.
It was just the deaths of a few Foundation Establishment Stage disciples.
Even if others heard about it, they wouldn’t have batted an eye.
In the Cultivation World, Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators were as common as dirt.
A great many Cultivators died every day.
It was cruel, but it was also reality.
Song Jiulai didn’t return to the mining site right away. Instead, she went back to Xuanwu City as if nothing had happened.
After slacking off for a few days and getting a handle on the required procedures and quotas for her mining operation, she gained a deeper understanding of the Sea View Sect’s exploitative methods.
’I used to think the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect’s taxes were unreasonable, but now they seem downright gentle by comparison.’
Mining and gathering resources in the Dragon Frost Swamp was no easy task. Robberies were so rampant that even if you managed to hold on to a small portion of your resources, it was likely to be stolen.
No wonder they needed so many Qi Refinement Realm and Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators for the digging, while the Major Sects’ own disciples rarely came.
’The work is grueling, and the pay is terrible.’
However, Song Jiulai didn’t let herself get bogged down by this. ’But next year’s taxes are going to be a headache.’
With so many more people, the amount of Spirit Stones to be paid would be substantial.
Just thinking about the number made Song Jiulai’s heart bleed.
’This is our hard-earned money, paid for with my and the players’ blood, sweat, and tears!’
’These taxes are definitely unreasonable.’
The System said, "The rules are the rules. There’s nothing to be done."
"The rules may be the rules, but that doesn’t make them reasonable." As a modern person, Song Jiulai could understand the Cultivation World’s model, but that didn’t mean she supported it.
The System suddenly said, "You are here now. You can only act according to the rules of this place."
"That’s only because I’m not strong enough yet." Song Jiulai had a very clear understanding of her own situation. "Unless I become powerful enough to overturn the rules. When I’m powerful enough to overturn the rules—"
Before, she would have never dared to think this way.
But thinking about the mysterious system she possessed and the players backing her, she allowed herself to dream of a beautiful future. "The first thing I’ll do is change this tax system!"
The System gasped. "When you’re powerful enough to overturn the rules, you’ll still be hung up on these lousy taxes?"
If she reached that stage, wouldn’t Song Jiulai be able to walk all over everyone on the Yunzhou Continent?
Song Jiulai chuckled. "I’ve never seen any greater world, so I don’t have too many wishes for now. Let’s just start with that."
The System was curious about something else. "If you could one day return to Blue Star and were granted one wish, would you want to know if your birth parents are still alive?"
Hearing this, Song Jiulai’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment, she scratched her head. "Maybe I would."
As an orphan, how could she not have wondered about her birth parents?
But after so many years of wondering, it was just that—a thought.
She had long since come to terms with it and didn’t dwell on it.
But if the opportunity really arose, she would still choose it, just to fulfill a trivial wish.
The System just said, "Oh."
But Song Jiulai suddenly seized on a loophole. "You just said I could return to Blue Star, and that I’d get a chance to have a wish granted? Is that the final quest reward?"
System: "...Logically speaking, it would certainly grant one of your wishes."
"What?" Song Jiulai’s voice rose. "You mean to tell me that after I work my butt off to build this Sect into the number one Sect on the Yunzhou Continent, my final reward is just *one* wish?"
System: "But it’s a *wish*! Just think, with my technology, what wish couldn’t I grant? What, you’re not satisfied with one wish?"
Song Jiulai: "Of course I’m not satisfied! I have lots of wishes! Not only do I want to know who my parents are, I also want to know who *you* are, I want to travel through space, and I have an even more down-to-earth wish—I want to live forever! With so many wishes, you can only grant me one?"
System: "My, you’re certainly ’down-to-earth.’ Let’s not get sidetracked. Just focus on your quests. The reward will change based on the quality of your quest completion."
"Oh." Song Jiulai sat on her Flying Magical Treasure, leisurely flying back toward Xuanwu City while continuing her pointless chat with the System. "Then, as a System with such advanced technology, why do you need me to revitalize a Sect on this continent?"
System: "Hey, that’s classified! Don’t ask. Even if you do, I won’t tell you. You’d just be wasting your breath."
Their human-computer conversation seemed to faintly echo among the crowds below.
"Who else can I talk to besides you? I have so many ’children’ now, but you’re the only one who truly gets your ’mom’."
System: "You unfilial child."
「 」
"Hello everyone, my name is Tan Qianqiu, and I’m just your average content creator. Of course, this isn’t my real name; it’s my in-game name."
"A month ago, I was lucky enough to snag a spot in the hottest game right now, *Starting with a broken sect*—the game that directly caused a technological leap on Blue Star and completely shattered scientists’ worldviews."
"For the past month in the game, I’ve been cautiously playing as a ’life-skiller’ to ensure my account’s survival. I haven’t dared to venture too far, spending my days growing Spirit Grass to earn points. Of course, I know many of you watch the streams of the great Han Tian every day, and from his streams, you’ve already seen how horrifyingly realistic this world is."
"I’m making this video to analyze things from a different angle. Is *Starting with a broken sect* a real world, or just a game? Personally, I’m already leaning toward the first possibility."
"Over this past month, I’ve spoken with many mortals in the game. From their reactions and their logic, I can feel that this is an incredibly real world. They are no different from us humans. Forgive my limited intellect and shallow wisdom, but I cannot imagine what kind of technology could create a game that is so horrifyingly realistic."
"Or, to put it another way, if it really isn’t a game, then the origins of our Sect Master and the main quest’s requirement for us to develop our Sect into the number one sect become very intriguing."
"I’ve gained a preliminary understanding of what kind of world the Yunzhou Continent is. It has a complete logical framework under its own rules and is a pure Cultivation World. However, our Sect Master’s requirements for us actually run counter to this world’s norms. First, we’ve been warned not to offend NPCs. But the mortals of the Yunzhou Continent can’t be considered pure NPCs. In fact, in the eyes of Cultivators, mortals are no different from slaves. Despite this, we are still required not to harm them."
"Following this logic, if the Sect Master were a native of Yunzhou, she shouldn’t have such strange requirements for the players. So, what if the Sect Master... is also someone from Blue Star?"