On the Importance of Economic Culture

Currently, the influence of Spirit Hall is primarily concentrated among grassroots spirit masters, while its reach among the common populace and mid-to-high-level spirit masters remains insufficient. Furthermore, there is a lack of focus on economic and cultural aspects, which is precisely what Shang An intends to change.

In previous years, he was merely a disciple of the Pope and lacked the authority to act, which is why he had remained dormant. Now that he has become the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, coupled with the support of Bibi Dong, he can finally carry out a series of sweeping, radical reforms within the organization.

Regarding his reform plan, Shang An had long since drafted it in his mind; it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

In terms of the economy, Shang An plans to establish new banks and open a commercial alliance. Douluo Continent actually possesses money houses similar to banks; a single black card from Ning Fengzhi is worth one million gold soul coins.

However, those black cards function only as savings cards, not credit cards. The bank Shang An envisions is modeled after the twenty-first-century system, localized to fit the specific circumstances of Douluo Continent. By attracting commoners to deposit money through interest and earning capital through issuing loans, he aims to eventually control the circulation of currency.

He also plans to create a Continental Commercial Alliance Federation. By providing protection, loan incentives, information sharing, and resource integration, he intends to absorb those neglected, unaffiliated common merchants. Combined with the existing commercial territory of Spirit Hall, he will control and infiltrate the economies of the two great empires.

Culturally, Shang An intends to establish newspapers and periodicals to control public opinion and guide the populace. The masses have always been blind; as long as they are properly led, public opinion will become a sharp sword in his hands.

At the same time, he also plans to establish various guilds and associations. Douluo Continent has had similar associations before, but they were all confined to small corners with negligible influence.

In addition, there are plans for the logistics industry, regulatory systems, and a monthly rating system for bishops at all levels in various regions.

And there is more...

He wrote down all the ideas in his mind, revised them repeatedly, and eventually, each plan gradually took shape.

The sky outside gradually darkened. Shang An put down his pen and rubbed his wrists. Although these plans had been conceived long ago, the specific steps and implementation schemes required careful deliberation and could not be applied directly.

Therefore, by the time he finished writing these proposals, it was already evening without him realizing it.

Suddenly, he felt the light in the room dim slightly. Turning around, he saw a graceful figure.

"Teacher, why are you here?"

Bibi Dong was standing behind Shang An's seat, looking as if she had been there for a long time, though Shang An had been too engrossed to notice.

"You! You always forget the time when you get busy."

Bibi Dong tapped Shang An's forehead lightly with her finger and took out an exquisite food box containing delicate pastries.

"Xiao An, eat something. If you're still hungry later, you can have the royal chefs prepare more food."

Shang An felt a pang of hunger in his stomach and picked up a pastry to stuff into his mouth.

He had almost forgotten that he was no longer the primordial spirit master who had long since transcended the need for food.

Chewing the pastry, he said, "Teacher, there's no need to trouble the royal chefs; this is enough."

"By the way, Teacher, I have a development plan for Spirit Hall here."

Shang An took out the proposal he had painstakingly written. It contained over a hundred pages of content, covering every aspect of implementation. If not for the fact that Shang An was a four-ring spirit master with a sufficiently powerful spirit and the assistance of his mutated primordial spirit, it might have taken him ten days or half a month to finish.

"Teacher, take a look and see if there are any oversights."

Bibi Dong took the stack of papers with great interest. Over the past few years, Shang An had already proven that he possessed extraordinary talent in handling political affairs, so she was quite expectant of his plans.

However, upon receiving the papers, the very first page shocked Bibi Dong.

"Defects and Countermeasures of the Spirit Hall Inspection System?"

The more she read, the more solemn Bibi Dong's expression became. As she flipped through the pages, the various plans and systems—each seemingly whimsical yet effective, accompanied by detailed step-by-step explanations—truly opened her eyes.

"A genius, truly a genius idea!"

"No, Xiao An was already a genius to begin with."

It took Bibi Dong nearly two hours to finish reading, mainly because some of the content was so novel that it required time for her to comprehend. After finishing, Bibi Dong felt deeply shaken.

As the Pope of Spirit Hall, she possessed her own political acumen and could see how much change these systems and plans would bring to Spirit Hall. If they were all successful, the status of Spirit Hall would become unshakable, and unifying the continent would seem to become a very simple matter.

If the person who wrote these plans were not Xiao An, and if this person did not belong to Spirit Hall, then Bibi Dong would have done everything in her power to eradicate them. Such a person posed a far greater threat to a faction than several Haotian Douluo; they would be a major hidden danger.

But since it was Xiao An, then of course it was her own child who was gifted and wise, destined to be a phoenix among men and a dragon among leaders, superior in every aspect.

However, although she was stunned by these plans, Bibi Dong quickly regained her composure and asked, pointing to the core issue.

"Xiao An, your plan is excellent, but if the two great empires obstruct us, or if they imitate what we are doing, then..."

Shang An understood Bibi Dong's concerns; he had naturally considered these issues.

"Teacher, first of all, they need to be able to see the hidden implications behind these plans."

Indeed, if Shang An had not written out the effects of implementing these various plans, Bibi Dong might not have necessarily valued things like banks or guilds. This was a cross-era blow, a crushing of thought patterns.

Shang An continued, "Even if they do imitate us, they would first need to understand these various systems. By the time they constantly grope and mimic us, and finally succeed, the influence Spirit Hall has created through these plans will have already taken deep root in the hearts of the people."

"Moreover, we have advantages that the two great empires do not."

At this point, Shang An paused slightly.

"Our number and quality of spirit masters far exceed those of the two great empires, and we can mobilize greater power; that is the first point."

"We have established branch halls in every township, small city, and even village, covering the entire continent, whereas the influence of the two great empires and the many kingdoms is limited to their own territories; that is the second point."

The overall strength of Spirit Hall absolutely crushed the two great empires. It was only due to internal discord and the retirement of Qian Daoliu that there were so many headaches, though these were not things Shang An could solve for the time being.

He didn't dwell on it and continued:

"So even if they have capable people who understand the meaning behind these plans, it is almost impossible for them to imitate us."

Looking at Shang An, who was physically exhausted but still high-spirited, Bibi Dong put down the materials and sighed.

"Xiao An, your plan is excellent, but although I am the Pope, implementing these plans still requires the approval of the Elder Hall."

Qian Daoliu would never allow her to decide such a major matter involving the future of the entire Spirit Hall alone, even if she was the Pope. Believe it or not, if she made a unilateral decision today, the Elder Hall would be blocking her door by tomorrow, and Qian Daoliu would be back in control of the Spirit Hall by the day after.

"Rest assured, Teacher, I have the confidence to persuade those elders."

In truth, he only needed to persuade Qian Daoliu; the other elders all followed his lead, and since Shang An's plan was beneficial to the development of the Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu had no reason to refuse.

Bibi Dong did not know what she was thinking of, but she sighed, feeling quite a bit of reluctance and self-reproach:

"Xiao An, it is your teacher who is useless."

Shang An pulled Bibi Dong's hand over and gently stroked it.

"Teacher, don't overthink it. You are the Pope of the Spirit Hall, and you will surely be the only empress of the Douluo Continent."

He knew that although Bibi Dong had lost her former paranoia, she still harbored resentment toward the Elder Hall and Qian Daoliu. She was a woman with an extremely strong desire for control and immense pride; how could she tolerate the Elder Hall standing above her? Perhaps it was only in front of Shang An that she would reveal such gentle, water-like affection.

Bibi Dong looked at the gentle and capable young man before her, her heart warming. As long as he was there, she feared nothing, even if it meant being an enemy to the world.

The two chatted in detail about the development plans for the Spirit Hall, but eventually, Bibi Dong interrupted the conversation. Otherwise, given Shang An's current enthusiasm, they might have talked through the entire night. She didn't mind, but she felt for Shang An.

"Alright, Xiao An, let's not talk about these things anymore. It's getting late."

Bibi Dong did not linger on the topic, taking Shang An's hand and walking toward the bed.

She gently helped Shang An take off his outer robe, like a young wife caring for her husband, before taking off her own high heels and changing into her nightgown.

"Xiao An, it's time to rest."

As soon as Shang An got into bed, he was pulled into Bibi Dong's embrace. Having served as a body pillow for three years, they were both used to it, though there had been progress; he reached out to wrap his arms around Bibi Dong, and she did not resist.

Now that he had grown taller, he could turn the tables and use Bibi Dong as his own body pillow. His teacher was fragrant and soft, making her the perfect person to hold while sleeping—though he wondered how the little fox would feel about that.

Not long after hitting the bed, Shang An fell asleep. His mental exhaustion was quite significant, and once the initial excitement faded, sleepiness swept over him like a tide.

Watching Shang An fall into a deep slumber, gazing at his peerlessly handsome face, Bibi Dong's eyes were filled with happiness. For her, every night was her most blissful moment.

Because, having him here was truly wonderful!