Chapter 370: Twelve Divine Worships, The Ticket to the Ancient Hill

The various regulations of the Ancient Nation of Yuanhai perfectly illustrate one point: if farming could lead to wealth, ordinary dynasties wouldn't even qualify to do it.

"The Ancient Nation's spiritual energy laws are too strict, and population control is very stringent." Zhao Xing said, "Yun Tiandao, Liu Tianning, and I are all too insignificant to change this situation. For a dynasty to settle in a galaxy with a spiritual energy index over 100, it's not something small Ascended Realm cultivators like us can influence."

"To achieve this, one option is to find a good teacher, like Qing Yuzi. If that teacher is a Dao Domain Realm expert from a major power, it becomes easy. The second option is to become a Third Realm cultivator yourself."

Zhao Xing said to Ji Che, "I understand." Ji Che quickly calmed down. "It's like back on Xuanhuang Realm when a student got into a good Daoist academy or imperial academy. Perhaps the academy could help solve the housing problem for their immediate family, but it couldn't possibly arrange housing for the entire clan and move them into the city."

Thinking about it, the Purple Moon Prefecture Lord has been very benevolent. He truly helped Great Zhou solve its housing problem, allowing them to live on a boundary star with a spiritual energy index of 20 for free for 10,000 years. Great Zhou's starting point is already much better than other dynasties. Even with the spiritual energy recovery, Xuanhuang Realm's spiritual energy index is only 5. Places like Xingxian Pass only have an index of about 10. Even in the Great Ye Dynasty, areas with an index over 20 are considered 'barren' except for the capital and other vital locations. Furthermore, Great Zhou doesn't have to worry about the risk of annihilation.

After all, within the Purple God Prefecture, no one would attack them. If it were any other emperor, they would be walking on thin ice, constantly worrying about some bandit emerging to cut them down and swallow their dynasty.

Ji Che, at least, no longer had to worry about these problems. The only thing he needed to consider was how to earn money to support his people.

"Your Majesty, the directions I previously provided are currently Great Zhou's best means of livelihood," Zhao Xing said. "Native species are our most valuable asset. When trading externally, you must first thoroughly understand the 'Native Species Protection Law'. We must not be tricked into selling the cultivation rights of our unique native species with a few words. On Xuanhuang Realm, those native species were not high-grade, but now that we are settled in a place with a spiritual energy index over 20, they will continue to grow and eventually become a stable source of income for Great Zhou. Furthermore, Yun Tiandao and I each have one hundred subordinate slots, which will allow talented officials from Great Zhou to move freely between galaxies. The ability to move freely provides opportunities for growth. If we cannot enter the Purple God Prefecture, we can join other forces. Once Great Zhou has more Origin Realm cultivators, we will have the capital to be self-sufficient. This will also alleviate future financial crises. Additionally, I have spent these days studying the Ancient Nation of Yuanhai and the trade laws between various galaxies, and I've thought of a few more ways to earn money, though they require further verification—"

Ji Che and his officials listened quietly, recording Zhao Xing's every word, followed by a heated discussion of feasibility.

Yun Tiandao watched from the side, his expression gloomy. Great Zhou's survival was no longer an issue; the only problem was poverty. For now, they couldn't ensure all their citizens enjoyed the same treatment as Ancient Nation citizens. Overall, the atmosphere here was vibrant and full of hope. But what about his Xia Dynasty?

Without a guide, Yun Tiandao could imagine the hardships and torments the Xia Dynasty endured. After many trials, it ultimately fell into the fate of being kept captive. Zhao Xing noticed Yun Tiandao sitting alone, seeming out of place, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The Grand Minister of Agriculture should have been the helmsman during a dynasty's early ascension, and many pitfalls could have been avoided with him present. For instance, in farming, even if the regulations weren't known, a Grand Minister of Agriculture, upon seeing a plant's life structure locked, would certainly inquire thoroughly. Furthermore, the Grand Minister of Agriculture is also a financial expert responsible for generating income.

Yun Tiandao was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding among them. Yet, the Xia Dynasty left such a genius behind. If the Xia Dynasty had ascended with Yun Tiandao, the outcome might have been different; at least in the second 100,000 years, Great Xia might have firmly established itself. Noticing Yun Tiandao's mood, Zhao Xing immediately pulled him over: "Brother Yun, we are also your clansmen. Every single agricultural official here is your disciple. Look, there's even one of your descendants here."

"Yes, ancestor," Yun Ze walked over. "The descendants of the Yun family are so proud; each one takes pride in you. You, in the universe, were actually noticed by a prominent figure. Such talent is truly unprecedented and will never be seen again!" Yun Tiandao glared at Yun Ze: "You brat, you wanted to capture me back then, thinking I couldn't see your intentions."

"Hmph, I'm truly blessed to have such an unfilial descendant as you." "You're a real rascal. Don't embarrass me," Yun Tiandao cursed. Everyone burst into laughter. However, after Zhao Xing and Yun Ze's intervention, Yun Tiandao's mood finally lifted.

Being able to scold people was a good sign!

Yun Tiandao and Zhao Xing each had one hundred subordinate slots, but they couldn't possibly use them all now because Great Zhou didn't even have 200 Ascended Realm cultivators. As for the Rule Realm? They couldn't even escape the gravitational pull of a boundary star, let alone move freely. So, currently, the only people from Great Zhou who could move freely between galaxies were King Luo, Ji Che, Ji Si, Dong Ze, Li Hao, Qin Feng, Lu Ying, Chen Ju, Liu Tianning, Ling Tianchen, Qiu Yuanshan, Mi Fu, Wei Hong, Hong Yuan (Royal Chief Artificer), Yin Xiu, Qitian Hall Master, Xia Jing, Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, Ye Yukong, King Shenluo, and the Mist Walker. These were all of Great Zhou's Ascended Realm cultivators. (Zigu had already been taken by Tianyuan to the Tianyuan Galaxy.) Among them, Ji Che could not move around recklessly; as the Fortune Emperor, he couldn't leave for too long. The others, however, could seek opportunities to explore. However, no one planned to leave at this time. Qingyu Boundary Star, as a high-grade boundary star, could meet all their needs for cultivation, trade, and production. As long as they had money, they could buy anything on Qingyu Boundary Star. There was even a 'Boundary Star Trading Market' here!

"Che, a list of what Great Zhou can sell has been compiled," Zhao Xing said, holding a list. "The assets primarily come from the Dragon Court, the accumulations of the Southern Barbarians and sects, treasures recovered from the Western Extreme Continent's ruins, and items identified in Great Zhou's Ten Treasure Halls." "How much is it in total?" Ji Che asked expectantly.

"A preliminary estimate is 300 million Yuanhai coins," Zhao Xing said. "Only 300 million?" Ji Che was somewhat disappointed. Without comparison, there's no harm. The Purple God Prefecture had casually given Zhao Xing 500 million as a reward! "To avoid affecting Great Zhou's normal operations, many things cannot be sold," Zhao Xing said. "For instance, the Star Fortune Scroll, a rare fate-type boundary star Dao weapon, is best kept to cultivate our own Fate Officials."

"The Great Dream Academy also cannot be sold; it's likewise a vital national asset. This is the value of items that can be sold without affecting Great Zhou's foundation."

What if the entire Great Zhou was sold as a package? Zhao Xing estimated it would be worth at least 2 billion Yuanhai coins, based on the value of already discovered treasures. There were still many unknown items in the Ten Great Treasuries that were difficult to appraise externally. The fear wasn't theft, but rather being coveted. It was safer to let Great Zhou's artisans develop first, learn the techniques, and then attempt to decipher them. The current value of Great Zhou as a whole was neither expensive nor cheap; merely 2 billion, considering Xuanhuang Realm had been thoroughly scoured.

While 2 billion might not seem expensive in the grand scheme of things, it was still an enormous sum for an individual, even a Second Origin Realm cultivator. This was still a bargain price. If Great Zhou's survival boundary ark was fully captured and then cultivated to slowly generate value, it could produce even greater returns in the future.

"300 million is a lot for a personal, but far too little for a nation," Ji Che sighed. "Elder Brother, how do you think this money should be allocated?" Zhao Xing mused, "We don't need to consider safety issues, unlike other ascending dynasties that have to purchase a large amount of military force and weapons for armament in the early stages. Therefore, it's best to use all of this money to cultivate talent."

"Top-tier experts are the foundation for establishing ourselves." Ji Che nodded, "I think so too."

"However, this money cannot all be used up; some reserves must be left." "Yes," Zhao Xing nodded.

Great Zhou's finances would certainly be in deficit for the next few centuries, with rent and taxes being the largest expenses. The Purple God Prefecture vacating a boundary star for them to live on for 10,000 years wasn't a free gift of the star itself. Giving a star would imply Great Zhou becoming a full member of the Purple God Prefecture. So, they could only rent it, at the lowest possible price. The price per century was 10 million Yuanhai coins, which was practically a gift. In the prosperous commercial heart of a high-grade galaxy, a boundary star typically rented for only 100,000 per year. What else could it be but a gift?

Yet, even so, Great Zhou might not actually be able to afford living there. Without diligent development and saving money, they would face the risk of bankruptcy after a thousand years. Living there for a full 10,000 years? Without hard work, it truly wouldn't be possible.

"I plan to purchase a batch of cultivation techniques for Great Zhou, mainly methods for cultivating to the Origin Realm," Zhao Xing said. "Great Zhou's first batch of Ascended Realm cultivators have good aptitudes; there's no need to buy extra cultivation resources. As subordinate members, simply living on Qingyu Boundary Star is sufficient for their cultivation." For a formal member of the Purple God Prefecture to be granted one hundred subordinate slots was already an exceptional act of grace from the Purple Moon Prefecture Lord. Normally, formal members only had twenty subordinate slots. The Purple Moon Prefecture Lord multiplied this by five for both him and Yun Tiandao, which provided Great Zhou with a great advantage. Subordinate members could follow Zhao Xing and live on Qingyu Boundary Star, where the spiritual energy index exceeded 100! With sufficient talent, they could completely break through to the Origin Realm!

"The cultivation techniques for breaking through to the Origin Realm are not expensive per copy, but the cost adds up because multiple copies need to be purchased. As many copies must be bought as there are cultivators. Secretly cultivating unauthorized secret methods is also illegal," Zhao Xing said. "However, we currently only have a little over twenty people, so the cost for the first batch of techniques will be around one to two million."

Ji Che had no objection to this: "Elder Brother, you are the Grand Minister of Agriculture; you can handle this matter with full authority. Spend where money needs to be spent. As long as it can accelerate cultivation, a little extra expense is fine. Elder Brother, although my time on the Planet of Hope was short, only about half a month, during that half-month, all our citizens were extremely anxious. Not long after you left, Lu Ying observed patrol guards from Xingxian Pass apprehending two groups of people on a nearby planet! Looking back now, that was just a team of First Origin Realm cultivators who easily annihilated two ascending forces. The most recent time, that team was only 100,000 miles from us, almost brushing past! When that flying boat approached, I thought to myself, 'Am I destined to be the emperor of a fallen nation?' Fortunately, the Great Ye Dynasty's patrol guards didn't discover us that time. The second time was when you sent someone over. At that point, I truly despaired," Ji Che said, feeling a tremor in his heart even now as he recalled it. "No one at the time expected that you, Elder Brother, could send someone so quickly. Everyone was prepared for a fight to the death. I even ordered Grand Artificer Lu Ying to prepare to detonate the Sun and Moon Palace and the Ju Zi Palace, to perish with the enemy!" Seeing Ji Che's excited face, Zhao Xing finally understood the psychological journey Ji Che and his people had gone through. They hadn't shown it before because they were constantly being watched! Only now, with no one else around, did Ji Che reveal a hint of fear.

He couldn't help but comfort him: "Che, it's all over. We'll get better and better."

On the same day that some assets on Qingyu Boundary Star were sold and converted into cash, Zhao Xing took his people to the Yuanhai Palace in Tianming Capital to purchase cultivation techniques. "The Yuanhai Palace was established by the royal family of the Ancient Nation of Yuanhai. Within the Ancient Nation's territory, every high-grade boundary star has a royal Yuanhai Palace. It's like a royal estate; it sells everything—cultivation techniques, secret arts, equipment, even boundary stars can be bought here. It can also store funds, allowing deposits and withdrawals throughout the entire Ancient Nation. For property transactions, the Yuanhai Palace is indispensable. Even if you buy or sell boundary stars or astral continents through other forces, you ultimately need to register it at the Yuanhai Palace." The Yuanhai Palace occupied its own territory on Qingyu Boundary Star, roughly equivalent to a province on Xuanhuang Realm.

Upon arriving within the Yuanhai Palace's territory by flying boat, Zhao Xing and his group were immediately greeted by an automaton puppet. "Official member of the Purple God Prefecture, Zhao Xing, welcome to Yuanhai Palace. I am the artifact spirit here, Yuan Forty-Six. You can conduct any legal transactions here, as well as storage and lending services."

"Feel free to ask me any questions." Yuan Forty-Six looked no different from a real person, appearing as a gentle and charming young woman. Lu Ying, Chen Ju, and King Shenluo stared, their eyes wide. Xia Jing was the same; he loved collecting automaton puppets.

"I want to purchase cultivation techniques," Zhao Xing said. "Please take me to the Technique Hall." "Alright, please follow me." Yuan Forty-Six immediately led the flying boat to a magnificent, towering sword-shaped building. "The Technique Hall contains all publicly and non-publicly sold cultivation techniques of the Ancient Nation of Yuanhai," Yuan Forty-Six introduced.

"Non-publicly sold? What does that mean?" Zhao Xing asked. "Some cultivation techniques cannot be purchased even with money; one must possess certain qualifications," Yuan Forty-Six replied. "Some techniques require joining a corresponding force. Others set learning thresholds, such as requiring ascension within a thousand years to study them. Of course, as a formal member of the Purple God Prefecture, you have the opportunity to purchase even non-publicly sold techniques. Restricted secret techniques are not a form of discrimination, but a protection," Yuan Forty-Six explained. "For example, the classic martial arts secret method, the Void Ancestor's Golden Body. According to countless ancient sages' research, if a martial artist has not reached the Ascended Realm within a thousand years, practicing the Void Ancestor's Golden Body, even the Three Suns Golden Body from the lower three chapters, will yield no results."

"Promoting the Void Ancestor's Golden Body method to those with insufficient aptitude is harming them. The Ancient Nation will not profit from such transactions. This is the cultivation technique grading system."

The people of Great Zhou were almost moved by the Ancient Nation of Yuanhai, thinking, 'You actually know not to cut the leeks too close to the root!' "What type of cultivation techniques would you like to purchase?" Yuan Forty-Six asked. "Martial artist, priest, fatemaster, artificer, and agricultural official," Zhao Xing said. He wanted to buy cultivation methods for agricultural officials too.

Although the Purple God Prefecture had provided him with free cultivation secret methods, the Purple Moon Prefecture Lord belonged to the Heaven's Will faction, and the Purple God Prefecture was primarily based on the Heaven's Will faction. All other methods had to be purchased separately. "Please follow me." Yuan Forty-Six specially provided Zhao Xing with a quiet hall.

The hall was equipped with dedicated explanations and demonstration clips of the techniques after completion. "For classic martial arts cultivation, the Qi Sect stream definitely follows the Void Ancestor's Golden Body. To complete the Three Suns chapters for the First Realm cultivation, just the first layer costs 900,000. It's truly damn expensive." 900,000 for just one person! Of course, if buying in bulk, there was a discount for three or more people, but at most, it was 20% off.

"How outrageous," Zhao Xing exclaimed. Aside from the secret method diagrams, the Void Ancestor's Golden Body cultivation method also came with some body-tempering resources. However, from Zhao Xing's perspective, the production cost of these resources was very low, not exceeding 50,000 at most.

As for the secret method diagrams, they could be copied infinitely, with a cost not exceeding 10,000. Something worth 60,000 was being sold for 900,000. Even with a group discount, it would still be 720,000!

"No wonder Naland couldn't afford it back then." There was no other way; the necessary expenses had to be paid. Xia Jing, Li Hao, Dong Ze, Qi Tian—these four Ascended Realm martial artists of Great Zhou followed the Qi Sect lineage.

If they were going to buy, they would do it all at once. Over three million was immediately paid out.

"Long Xiao, Ye Yukong, and King Luo all belong to the Sword Sect lineage, and Sword Sect techniques are even rarer," Zhao Xing said, looking at Yuan Forty-Six's recommendations. "There are only two suitable options: first, the *Extreme Star Sword Dao*, and second, the *Great Zhou Heavenly Sword Body*." The two methods were not significantly different, and ultimately, all three chose the Great Zhou Heavenly Sword Body. The selection method was rather mystical, simply because the name contained the words 'Great Zhou'.

These three alone accounted for 900,000.

For the artificers' methods, three types were chosen. First was the *Boundary Star Forging Method*, a forging stream. If Great Zhou wanted to develop, it couldn't solely rely on farming; it had to learn some techniques. There might not be immediate profit now, but if they could forge boundary weapons in the future, they could still earn money. Cultivating a forging master capable of crafting boundary weapons would put Great Zhou on the right track. This technique wasn't expensive; after all, above boundary star Dao weapons were Solar, Lunar, and Origin Divine Weapons.

Second was the *Myriad Forms Dao Weapon*, a Dao weapon stream, primarily for controlling small to medium-sized automaton puppets. Third was the *Great Luo Heavenly Soldiers*, a Shenluo stream, primarily for controlling large and super-large automaton battle armor and fortresses.

Lu Ying, Chen Ju, and King Shenluo had 600,000 Yuanhai coins spent on them.

"When you actually start buying, it feels like you can't stop," Zhao Xing muttered. The original budget was one to two million, but now it was double that.

Next up were the Fate Official's spells. Since Ji Si was the only Ascended Realm Fate Official, only one copy needed to be bought, but this was a top priority. Because Ji Si possessed the Star Fortune Scroll, buying a weak cultivation technique would be a waste.

Furthermore, the Fate Official himself received no personal enhancement, so if they didn't invest in a good cultivation technique, it would be better to simply abolish the profession of Fate Official. Ji Si was talented!

Zhao Xing was reluctant to discard him, so he could only pour in money again. "Grand Minister of Agriculture, I think choosing this *Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy* method would be good," Ji Si said thoughtfully, selecting a very inexpensive one. The *Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy* cost only 100,000 Yuanhai coins, making it the lowest-tier option available.

Zhao Xing looked at it and laughed, "What kind of rubbish technique is this, fit for our Grand Fate Official to cultivate? Others can buy cheaper ones, but you, on the contrary, should buy the most expensive one; otherwise, it's better not to buy anything at all." Yuan Forty-Six also added, "Indeed, the Dao of Fate cannot be mastered by simply putting in effort."

Zhao Xing asked, "What's the best technique here?" Yuan Forty-Six replied, "That would be the *Wheel of Destiny*. It can be cultivated all the way to the Reincarnation Realm, though the Ancient Nation of Yuanhai doesn't offer techniques for that level, nor are they publicly sold; it only goes up to the Third Realm." "That's enough," Zhao Xing said, glancing at the brief description of the *Wheel of Destiny*.

This cultivation technique was an ancient forbidden art, rumored to originate from mysterious revelations deep within the River of Fate. Only those with extraordinary talent, firm willpower, and who had endured countless trials had a chance to touch it. Its cultivation path was fraught with difficulties and dangers, full of countless tests and variables. A slight misstep could lead to eternal damnation, but once mastered, one could control the power of destiny, becoming a supreme existence transcending life and death, mastering the fate of the world.

The technique's description was very enticing, but its actual effects were another matter. However, Zhao Xing had heard of this technique before and knew it was indeed good. "In the Nascent Realm: Fate patterns are inscribed, and the fate wheel initially appears. In the Void Realm: The fate wheel expands, and threads of destiny can control a single realm."

"In the Divine Ability Realm: Eye of Fate, Fate Judgment, Fate Retrospection. It is rumored that in the Reincarnation Realm, one can even rewrite destiny, allowing someone with low fortune to seize high-level fortune." "Ji Si has this talent. Perhaps he can even save our lives in the future," Zhao Xing thought to himself. In any case, they should buy the First Realm technique first and try it out.

"How much?" "1.2 million, no discount for multiple purchases," Yuan Forty-Six replied. "Bought it!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and immediately paid. The technique Ji Si bought, just for its first layer, immediately reached a million-level price.

He himself was startled: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, I—" "What's there to be afraid of? When you rise in the future, this small amount of money will be easily earned back," Zhao Xing laughed. Fate Officials were indispensable for a dynasty's long-term development.

Even for individuals, everyone wanted to befriend a successful Fate Official. Such a friend could truly avert a calamity at a critical moment!

After Ji Si's purchase, the budget went directly over. And that was without buying for the agricultural officials and priests yet. "Let's look at the priests' next."

"There's no hurry for the agricultural official methods right now," Zhao Xing said. Although he, Yun Tiandao, and Liu Tianning couldn't impart their methods to others, they weren't in a rush, because the Purple God Prefecture provided some, just not as comprehensive for Zhao Xing.

"Hmm? The Ancient Nation of Yuanhai actually has so many cultivation methods for the path of the priest?" Zhao Xing quickly scanned them, feeling a strange sensation in his heart. "The number of cultivation techniques is small, but there are actually over 300,000 kinds of secret arts? How do I remember that the path of the priest wasn't flourishing in my previous life? This doesn't look like a decline," Zhao Xing wondered, puzzled. "Could it be that after only two thousand years, the path of the priest has declined? Is