Development

Spark City's excellent living conditions over the past few years had led many people to move there of their own accord after hearing about its benefits. Its population now exceeded eight million, making it an unquestionable top-tier major city.

A Level 2 Territory could only have a million people recognized by the system. Carl had no way to register every resident, so the ones she could register were either Level 3 Warriors or young people with decent talent.

As a result, all one million slots had been filled, but the residents actually providing points numbered only a little over eight hundred thousand.

Of those eight hundred thousand, ninety percent were Level 3 Warriors, with a small number of Level 4 Warriors and some Level 5 Warriors. They could all benefit from the cultivation bonus granted passively by the territory. The boost was small, but it gave them an extra chance to improve.

As for Level 6 Warriors, they were a loss for Carl. They provided very few points each day, only 0.8, yet Carl had to give them the full cultivation bonus of ten percent, which cost her 10 points a day.

In the short term, this was a losing proposition. But in the long run, if some of those Level 6 Warriors gradually broke through to Level 7, they could become the backbone of Spark City. For those who performed especially well, Carl wouldn't mind spending the thirty thousand points on an Aptitude Enhancement Talisman, giving them a chance to reach Level 9 in the future.

Why was the City Lord's Mansion celebrating today?

It was simply because the city lord, Lin Taros, had successfully advanced from Level 7 Warrior to Level 8 Warrior. But this also revealed how short Spark City was on high-level fighters.

The city had reached its current position largely because the other Level 9 Warriors in the Anlan Kingdom had shown consideration for Carl.

After all, Carl hadn't announced that she had entered the Saint Realm.

Ultimately, Carl was among the weakest in the Saint Realm. She was only ten times stronger than a Peak Level 9 Warrior. That gave her a decisive advantage over Level 9 Warriors, but at the Saint Realm level, she was the one being decisively outmatched.

With the Anlan Kingdom in such a sorry state, Carl didn't believe the turmoil was limited to changes within the kingdom. After all, in the memories of the future on the Yulan Continent, there was no Anlan Kingdom.

And right next to Anlan Kingdom was the famous Fenlai Kingdom.

There was more than one Saint Realm expert behind Fenlai Kingdom. Carl still needed plenty of time to develop her strength, so lying low was a good choice.

With Spark City's official establishment and Carl's deterrence as a Peak Level 9 Warrior, the other experts of the same level had tacitly accepted its growth. Over the past three years, the city had gone from providing Carl with only a few hundred points a day to several thousand, and now it was nearing ninety thousand points daily.

With so many points coming in, Carl naturally treated herself well. After maxing out her daily idle cultivation progress, she also bought quite a few things useful to Saint Realm experts. Only after that did she spend the remainder on her family and territory.

As for aptitude improvements, every Level 7 Warrior in her family had received one, and even members willing to train hard hadn't been overlooked. Carl was also generous to residents who performed well in the territory: she gave them blessings when appropriate and cultivation bonuses when warranted.

With these cultivation bonuses, Carl was confident that Level 8 Warriors would spring up throughout her family and territory. One day, their development would reach Level 3.

[Family] Requirements for advancement to Level 3: Level 9 (0/100) Saint Realm (0/5)

[Territory] Requirements for advancement to Level 3: Level 9 (0/100) Saint Realm (0/5)

[Mall] Requirements for advancement to Level 3: [Territory] and [Family] advance to Level 3; host's strength reaches [Peak Saint Realm]

Once her family and territory advanced to Level 3, Carl would be able to activate cultivation bonuses for everyone across the board, increasing their cultivation speed by ten percent. She could also designate a select few members to receive a hundred-percent bonus.

Her family and territory could improve Carl's cultivation speed in every way. Based on the changes that came with entering the Saint Realm, she had gradually figured out a few things.

For example, a one-percent cultivation speed bonus didn't just increase cultivation speed by one percent. It raised one's limits. Whether it was physical constitution, mental strength, cultivation speed, or comprehension, it all helped one climb higher.

However, this bonus wasn't much use to Mages. Even with the cultivation boost, there were very few Level 3 Mages across the entire territory. In theory, a Level 3 Mage had a status comparable to a Level 4 Warrior, but in an actual fight, it was anyone's guess who would win between one and a Level 3 Warrior.

Aptitude Enhancement Talismans came in different grades. The basic ones could raise someone to the level of a Level 8 Warrior, while Advanced Aptitude Enhancement Talismans could bring them to Level 9. Carl could preview the Top-tier Aptitude Enhancement Talisman in the Mall; once it reached Level 3, she would be able to buy one, and it could raise someone to the standard of a Saint Realm expert.

Aptitude improvements grew more expensive at higher levels, but to Carl, whose territory was already thriving, the cost was nothing. She had used one herself long ago, raising her innate aptitude from that of a Level 6 Warrior to its current Level 9 standard.

With the standard aptitude of a Level 9 Warrior, combined with the transformation that came from breaking through to the Saint Realm, Carl's cultivation talent was gradually catching up to that of someone in the Early Saint Realm. In ordinary training, she could now slowly improve her Battle Qi on her own, in addition to the system's automatic idle cultivation. This gave Carl a tremendous boost in morale.

"With the standard talent of a Level 9 Warrior, someone would probably reach the early or middle stages of Level 9. Since I can fully benefit from the cultivation bonuses provided by my family and territory, as well as the transformation that came with entering the Saint Realm, I'll most likely approach the level of a normal Early Saint Realm expert."

Carl considered the matter. The standard Level 9 Aptitude Enhancement Talisman could bring someone to the early or middle stages of Level 9. With the full bonuses she could receive, her cultivation talent exceeded that of a late-stage Level 9 Warrior, though it still fell just short of the peak.

"With talent like this, I estimate I'll reach the late stage of Level 9, but won't be able to break through to the peak."

The price was one hundred thousand points. To Carl, that wasn't expensive for the chance to gain another Level 9 Warrior. With seven or eight Level 9 Warriors, her forces would be strong enough to occupy a whole province even if she never showed herself.

After all, the Mall gave her an enormous advantage. She could simply keep a low profile until she reached Peak Saint Realm, then buy Top-tier Aptitude Enhancement Talismans. Before long, Saint Realm experts would emerge one after another from her family and territory.

At that point, who could rival her forces beneath the God Level?

With bright hopes for the future, Carl opened the family status panel and used an Advanced Aptitude Enhancement Talisman on its only Level 8 Warrior.

"Train hard. Reaching the Saint Realm one day isn't out of the question."