Upper and Lower Levels

Within Li Qi's inner world, a sea of bamboo, two great rivers, and twenty sacred mountains comprised everything they saw.

As for the outside world, Li Qi actually set up a banquet, allowing others to take whatever they wanted.

This banquet, stretching for ninety miles, features a variety of tableware that are Law Treasure that can be automatically replaced, cleaned, and used to serve food. Each item forms an illusionary array, allowing anyone to use it.

The food and drinks there are inexhaustible; aside from the fact that they cannot be taken away, just eating them could feed every mouth in the entire city.

Miners, ordinary people, and all sorts of commoners from the city flocked to the area.

But these are all minor matters, just small favors from Li Qi.

He had no way to save these people, but a full meal was something he could easily provide.

Li Qi's true focus remained on those who had received invitations.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the banquet has begun. Please be seated." Li Qi gently stretched out his hand, and a row of short tables immediately appeared in front of everyone.

On the short table, the staple food is rice called Cloud Rice.

Cloud Rice, nourished by fire and rain and dew, has large, sweet, and smooth grains with a clear and fragrant aroma. It is warm in nature, non-toxic, and yellow in color. It is best for harmonizing the spleen and stomach, hence the name Cloud Rice.

Those that are yellow in color possess the true essence of metal. Autumn signifies the combination of grain and fire. Grain is the head of all plants, and fire has the power to transform into metal. The transformation of metal leads to the transformation of wood, which in turn produces such fine rice.

This is fine rice cultivated by martial artists. Martial artists value food the most. Li Qi has some of his collections in his inner world.

There's nothing I can do, he just loves to eat.

In the world, martial artists have other breeding methods. It is said that the Dragon Tooth Rice and other treasures consumed by martial artists are cultivated by them to refine their Qi and Blood, and can replenish the whole body.

But Li Qi didn't have that much money; he wasn't that rich yet.

After the main course, there are other dishes.

Among them were six dishes, a hundred delicacies, a hundred sauces, eight treasures, vegetable soups, and all sorts of other dishes. The banquet was filled with both land and sea delicacies, and the food was exquisite and clean, which was a real eye-opener.

To be honest, they had never seen many of the dishes here before.

But just by looking at the essence contained within, one knows that this is definitely a good thing.

"Please, everyone, take your seats," Li Qi said with a smile.

As if receiving some kind of command, the others took their seats and stopped looking at the sacred mountain. Although they were breathing heavily, they still maintained basic restraint.

I have to restrain myself; this senior in front of me is terrifyingly strong.

"Eat up, what are you waiting for?" Li Qi sat down in the main seat and said to everyone with a smile.

To be honest, everyone below, including Ling Xiao and the Shuiling City Lord, is terrified that Li Qi will cause trouble halfway through their meal and say, "Wow, you're actually eating?!"

But since Li Qi himself had already started eating, no one else dared to stand still, and the banquet began amidst this atmosphere of shock, fear, and awkwardness.

Everyone started eating. At first, the atmosphere was stiff, and no one dared to say much. But it seemed that someone wanted to show off, so they deliberately spoke loudly to liven up the atmosphere.

Li Qi also replied to the other party in a very kind manner.

This eased the tension. Everyone was shrewd and realized that they had to make a good impression on Li Qi in this situation.

So, the next step was the same as the peacock spreading its tail feathers.

These people likely used all the emotional intelligence they had in their lives to subtly probe Li Qi.

Some are simply flattering, some are trying to please, some are aloof, and others are showcasing their talents, etc.

They all wanted something from Li Qi.

Some wanted to borrow Li Qi's power, some wanted guidance, some wanted to use someone else to do their dirty work, and some even wanted to become Li Qi's apprentice.

These are all different.

Li Qi felt as if he had entered a bird park. The chirping of hundreds of birds was incessant, each with its own demands, direct statements, indirect approaches, high emotional intelligence, and low emotional intelligence, all of which were constantly clamoring in his ears.

To be honest, it's quite annoying.

Among these people, there are those who are truly capable, those who are truly miserable, and even those who are both.

For example, there was one person who ascended from the lower realm. He was a laborer by origin and advanced to the sixth rank through his own perseverance. During the previous seven days of chaotic battle, he used his schemes and strength to snatch an invitation. This person was resolute and decisive, and his methods were clean and efficient. He was indeed a talented individual.

He went straight to the point with Li Qi, expressing his desire to become Li Qi's apprentice.

But Li Qi just smiled and remained noncommittal.

There were also pure clowns. One of them was a pretty woman. She must have received an invitation from her father. She showed off her knowledge, her magical Law Treasure, and her looks, trying to get Li Qi to take a second look at her. She even used her charm magic.

However, Li Qi simply smiled.

He spoke to everyone so gently, regardless of their motives, their level of expertise, or their character.

Treat everyone equally.

And so, another day passed.

The banquet was halfway through, but for these people, a day was still quite short, after all, they were all immortals and were used to long periods of activity.

At this moment, Li Qi coughed twice.

Everyone else, no matter what they were doing, immediately looked up, stopped talking, and looked at Li Qi.

"Everyone, I see you all have many things to do. Although I am unable to help you all one by one, you can look over there." Li Qi pointed to the sacred mountain.

"Whether you need guidance, treasures, or the power you wish to borrow, it's all there. No need to rush, everyone gets a share, feel free to take as you please," Li Qi said with a flourish of his sleeve.

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Is what you say true, senior?"

"You can take everything yourself? Could it be..."

While others were shocked, some of the bolder individuals immediately raised questions.

But Li Qi laughed heartily, "Do I look like someone who goes back on his word? I won't care what you do afterward, otherwise wouldn't it make me, the host, seem stingy?"

After saying that, Li Qi flicked his hand, and his body suddenly disappeared.

In this fertile land, there is pure air, twenty sacred mountains, a bamboo forest, two great rivers, and a group of upper-class people who have something to ask of Li Qi.

Li Qi then went to the banquet outside.

The upper class lives in their own inner world.

Those from lower classes were seated at a banquet outside.

He was keeping an eye on both sides at the same time.

In the bamboo forest, finally someone bold enough to make a move.

That's the kind of ambitious and ruthless guy that Li Qi thought had a bright future, who ascended from the lower realm and managed to snatch an invitation by himself.

He rushed towards the sacred mountain, where a Daoist aura resounded, and it seemed... this Daoist aura was very compatible with his Cultivation Method. Although he didn't know what the so-called Daoist aura was, he knew that as long as he studied it and comprehended its mysteries, it would probably be very beneficial to his cultivation.

Everyone was watching him.

He went up the mountain without any obstacles or trials.

He easily reached the mountaintop and came into contact with the Daoist principles.

Then... he began to comprehend it, and at the same time, the aura around him began to rise dramatically.

Yes, he had an epiphany when faced with the Daoist essence of the fifth rank, and then he broke through.

These high-ranking figures went mad at this moment.

They rushed out at an extremely fast speed; some went to the bamboo forest, some to the sacred mountain, and some to the two great rivers.

These people have no competition with each other.

As Li Qi said, everyone gets a share, so just take what you need.

They can take whatever they want here, it doesn't matter. Li Qi isn't that stingy. You have no reason to rob us. The resources here are more than enough for everyone.

Li Qi believed this because he had predicted it using the True Knowledge Dao Charm Scan.

Even if everyone takes more than ten thousand times the amount of supplies they actually need, there will be no problem. The reserves will be absolutely sufficient, and everyone's desires can be satisfied.

Li Qi watched their performance quietly.

Meanwhile, the lower classes outside the city enjoy endless feasts.

The rules for the banquet were very simple: Li Qi had said that no one was allowed to take anything away.

But actually, there won't be any problem if you take it. Li Qi hasn't set up any security measures at all. Let alone taking the food, you could even snatch the plate if you're capable.

The banquet had already attracted over a million people, and the area was packed to capacity for thirty miles, with everyone eating and drinking to their heart's content.

On one hand, there is the new wealth bestowed by Li Qi upon those who have everything they could ever want.

On one side are the vast array of delicacies that those suffering from hunger and cold rarely encounter.

The poor and the rich, the powerful and the weak, face almost the same circumstances.

Then, Li Qi saw those important figures begin to fight each other.

If everyone takes whatever they want, it's the same as nobody having anything.

If everyone had it, then there wouldn't be a significant difference between them.

So, they started to have conflicts.

A minor altercation resulted in the deaths of several servants.

Everyone stopped, fearing that Li Qi would appear and blame them for the bloodshed.

But Li Qi paid no attention; he was looking outside.

Bloodshed also occurred outside.

Someone tried to take the tray and the food away, and then someone shouted, "Thief! Be careful, the host won't let you eat it!"

So the man was surrounded by the others and beaten to death.

It's brutal, it's barbaric, but... it's also civilized?

I don't know how to describe it.

They executed one person to prevent theft from causing the 'host's house to forbid us from eating'.

In order to maintain the status quo of the banquet, they took the initiative to maintain the existing order with a high degree of self-awareness, so that they could eat their fill.

Meanwhile, those in the upper echelons are now fighting amongst themselves.

Since Li Qi ignored their fighting, they seemed to have figured out what was going on.

For them, this is an opportunity.

The weak have the opportunity to kill the strong here.

For example, that man who ascended from the lower realm and then rose through the ranks from a laborer, after his enlightenment and awakening, had already killed four of his old enemies.

Here, the gap between the strong and the weak is narrowed, and at the same time, they have a lot of resources that they can take away.

Everyone could have taken it, but everyone made a decision. "Kill the others and let your own faction monopolize all the resources here."

Thus, cooperation, division, cooperation again, betrayal, secret alliances, sneak attacks, ambushes, breakthroughs, and massacres ensued.

In just one day, Li Qi witnessed these three thousand people put on another great show.

In a treasure trove of resources that everyone can share, they still fight each other, not for anything else, but simply to surpass others.

Li Qi realized something.

This is the 'Way of Evolution'.

Tianyan doesn't care about the total amount of resources, nor about the existing way of life.

The Way of Evolution, that is, the true dragons, care about their own status.

This is the "food chain," this is pure natural competition. If you are higher than me, then everything I have is actually yours. No matter how much I possess, it's all meaningless because it will ultimately belong to you.

Therefore, it must be higher, it must be stronger.

As expected, Teacher Zhu's initial assessment was extremely accurate.

The Immortal Heaven is a combination of the Way of Evolution and the Daoist sect. They aim to use the methods of the Way of Evolution to achieve the ultimate goal of the Daoist sect.

However, one point is worth discussing: is this also the case for the higher-ups of the Celestial Realm?

It's hard to say.

If immortals truly want to achieve ultimate freedom, then they shouldn't be confined to this world; they should have ample reason to explore the outside world.

Looking at the combat power of the Immortal Heaven, it is actually quite explosive. Whether it is the ninth rank or the fifth rank, Li Qi can feel that this First Rank World is simply terrifying.

Although the level of civilization is slightly lower, that's because the innate conditions of the Immortal Heaven are simply too good.

This is First Rank World. Look at the Immortal Stone beneath your feet. Countless people have worked day and night to excavate them, and even after billions of years, they have never been able to exhaust them. To this day, the reserves are still plentiful.

In Li Qi's eyes, the cultivators of the Immortal Heaven were a group of powerful, intelligent, and immortal beasts, still living under a primitive slave system, and were like berserk primitives using a +15 enchanted legendary artifact, the Stone Spear.

It's not so much backward as it is very much in the style of the Great Wilderness.

However, even under these circumstances, Li Qi still saw that the lower classes quickly stabilized the order. Perhaps it was the result of being controlled for a long time, but they were very adapted to the order and had a high degree of obedience.

This is also a form of blind obedience; they are still striving for their animalistic physiological needs, but it's still much better than chaos.

At this moment, Li Qi waved his hand.

Ling Xiao appeared behind Li Qi.

Just now, only Ling Xiao did not join the battle. On the contrary, seeing the competition, she chose to sit down and start painting.

In the past, when she painted, she would face Li Qi and carefully observe him, trying to see every detail about Li Qi.

But just now, she painted a picture all by herself, without being able to see Li Qi.

The image is divided into two halves; the main subject on the left is the upper class fighting.

The main subject on the left is the lower-class people scrambling for food.

Above these two sides are chaotic shadows with indistinct faces and blurry figures.

The shadow's features and expression were unclear, but its eyes were very clear.

His gaze was indifferent as he surveyed everything below.