The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Once upon a time, the court of the heavens stretched across the entirety of existence. It oversaw numerous worlds and countless immortals. They lived in harmony, taking great joy in the creation of all things. New concepts, lives, and items were made every day. Their only limitation was time and their imagination.

Unfortunately, all things came to an end. The exponential growth soon outstripped the court's capabilities, allowing for the worst of what we know to come into the world.

A great monkey demon of the hundred races seduced numerous immortals with power, teaching them how to steal the vitality of their peers. Chaos started to spread, and the court of heaven was forced to take drastic measures.

They shattered the unsalvageable worlds and annihilated as much corruption as they could reach. Nevertheless, some scraps and bits slipped through the cracks. It wouldn't have mattered much if only true immortals were around, but that quickly changed when the court stripped numerous immortals of their power and banished them into isolated worlds that were basically a prison in all but name.

However, not everyone in the court agreed with such harsh punishment. They left a way out for these prisoners. A way for them to regain their immortality by passing harsh trials.

That was the story many were told from a young age, Wu San included. It was also the story that played out before his eyes, as if he were an omniscient immortal. By the time he came to it, he found himself standing before his fellow student, next to his teachers. Looking around, he slowly walked out of the formation circle, feeling as if he was stepping on clouds.

"Well? Anything to note or flaws to correct?" Teacher Li asked. "It was hastily put together, so no need to hold back. Tell me your unfiltered opinion."

"Umm, it was weird," Wu San cautiously said, as his mind raced to put his experience into words. "I was floating around—I couldn't control my body or where I looked, and everything played out around him so quickly. It made me feel—sick."

"Hm, yes, I have heard of movies with horrible directing making people nauseous."

"Movies?"

"Don't worry about that for now. We'll go over the terms later. For now, I want you to write down your thoughts on what you experienced, what you feel needs to be changed, and any other plays you've seen before. That last one goes for the rest of you as well!" Li Lang directed his gaze over to the other students. "It doesn't strictly have to be plays. Any interesting stories you've heard from other cultivators or even mortals. No matter how trivial you think it is, note them down and send them to me."

"Yes, Teacher Li," they answered in unison, despite being unsure of the reason.

"You can ask Wu San for the details, but to clarify, what I plan to sell are stories, which is why I'm asking to do this. I'm not trying to give you more work for no reason here. We'll be recording these stories into mobile formations and selling them to the disciples of various sects and organizations. To do that, the best way is to have all of you sell them to the peers you meet in the future. You'll have to know the product you'll be selling, which is why I want to collect stories from you all."

This was Li Lang's plan. They would soon have to send out their students across Violet Isle to hunt down the Abductress. It was the perfect opportunity to spread their influences as well. If they couldn't risk stepping on any toes due to their lack of strength, they simply had to go at it a different way. Using entertainment like movies would be a big step toward that.

Earth-grade and higher quality products would only get harder and harder to mass produce. In order to dip into the wealthy pockets of cultivators, selling illusion formations that acted as a VR system was perfect.

Every person who had experienced the power of media could not deny the influential power it could exert. Making money and establishing the name of Star Gem Academy. The plan was perfect.

"Yes, it definitely has nothing to do with wanting to offload the work to others at all," Xiao Dong muttered to the side.

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As quiet as he was, everyone nearby was a powerful cultivator with enhanced senses, but no one acknowledged his words. They all had a tacit agreement not to poke the bear, while Li Lang moved on without a change of expression as well.

"Anyway, we can move on to the construction project you have all done so well to plan. Who'll be leading the way?"

The man with the mask chimed in right away.

"We ha-had split into teams, each as-assigned to different parts of the city. You c-can start however you like. Someone will be th-there to instruct you."

"Oh, sounds good. Let's head out, then."

With no one objecting, the cultivators soon summoned their Skyrunners and flew east.

We still need to make or buy more Skyrunners with so many of us now. We can't keep moving around crammed into one vehicle like this.

Li Lang shook his head as he was reminded of the poorer worlds he had briefly visited. Vehicles meant for half a dozen people were filled with double the number of people. The chaotic crowds and poor living conditions were not a good sight to see. He didn't want Star Gem Academy to appear like that to the eyes of any visiting forces.

Before he could dwell on it, they swiftly arrived at shore. Starpoint Island was never that far away from Violet Isle.

His companions first led him deeper into the mountainous areas, where he could allow the Crucible to fill up on building materials. Then, after another short flight, they arrived at a large, open bay, where tall cliffs rose on two sides and a sandy beach stretched along the third.

Li Lang observed that the water levels slowly grew shallower the closer they got to the beach. He saw the various markers his academy had left on the shore, outlining where the roads and structures should go. Instinctively, he wanted to make changes, but he swallowed the words he wanted to say.

There was no need to adjust the city so they could have a deep port for large vessels when he had the Crucible. He could instead adjust the terrain to fit their needs.

Without needing any instructions, the students involved in the city project scattered to their own areas, leaving only Wei Ping and Xiao Dong with Li Lang. The two hovered in the air for a few moments before the only student present broke the silence.

"So? Where should we start first?"

Li Lang turned and gave him a sidelong glance.

"And why are you here with us? Didn't you help with the planning efforts as well?"

"I tried," he shrugged. "They kept rejecting my ideas, calling me thoughtless and whatever. Decided I should help out with hard labor when the time came to build the city instead."

He flexed his biceps, showing off his willingness to work.

Wei Ping simply nodded when Li Lang looked his way, so he dropped the matter.

"In that case, your first job is to help me dig."

He paused for a moment to fetch out the Crucible. Placing it on the ground beside him, he had it release mountains of materials. Once he was done, he shrank it to a handheld size and handed it over to Xiao Dong as if it were nothing important.

"Here, take this."

"What? I thought only you could use it?"

"Yes, I'll give the command to start and stop, but you bring it around and position it. Just be mindful of the ocean. Don't want to flood the place as we dig now. I have something else to do in the meantime."

Patting his student on the shoulder and urging him to get at it, Li Lang began focusing on the materials nearby.

As great a job as his students had done, there was something he wanted to implement if they were going to build a city from the ground up. While the new settlement would be for mortals, it would also be the face of Star Gem Academy. And since it would only cost him a little effort to implement some more modern infrastructure, he was more than willing to do so.

Only one person remained at his side as he worked, and by the time he was almost done with his preparation, they couldn't help but speak.

"B-Boss, are all these to bu-build the so-called sewer system we have on the island? Shouldn't you have to-told us so we could have accounted for it?"

"Yeah, don't worry, though. Your planning won't go to waste. The sewers will follow along where the roads go, so there's no need to make any changes. I got this."

The masked man slowly nodded before sitting down a distance away to meditate. He had been so busy guiding the students along since he had returned that he needed to catch up on his cultivation. After all, he had newly gained techniques from his trip to hone. However, before the ground beneath him could even warm, Li Lang spoke again.

"Hey, if you're not busy, you should start finding as many merchants willing to immigrate to our city as you can. Sell the free trade zone we talked about and sweeten the deal by helping them construct vessels or something. You should be able to help with woodsmithing, right?"

"...Yes."