Aptitude Enhancement

Karl glanced at his son. They say that with age comes wisdom, and although Karl appeared to be a man of thirty, he was, after all, an old monster who had lived for over two hundred years.

He understood the thoughts of this son of his to a greater or lesser extent.

His gaze swept over the items in the Mall.

Aptitude Enhancement Talisman.

Priced at 30,000 points, it could raise one's cultivation talent to the level of a Level 8 Warrior.

Level 8 was divided into Warriors and Mages, though Mages required much higher talent. The Mall did have items capable of enhancing the talent of a Level 8 Mage, but the price was significantly higher, reaching 100,000 points.

For 100,000 points, Karl could even consider upgrading himself to a Level 9 Warrior.

The system's boost to cultivation speed was not merely about increasing the rate of progress; it was about raising one's own ceiling.

If one was originally only capable of reaching a Level 6 Warrior, relying on one's own efforts to reach the peak of Level 6 would grant that extra one percent chance to touch the threshold of a Level 7 Warrior.

The reason there were so few Level 7 Warriors in Spark Town was largely because many residents lacked the aptitude to even reach the peak of Level 6.

But things were different now. As a Level 2 Territory, it could provide a 10% boost to the residents. Those who might have previously struggled to reach Level 6 now had the opportunity to reach its peak, and those who could already reach the peak had a much higher probability of breaking through to become a Level 7 Warrior.

Even those warriors who were originally only capable of reaching the mid-to-late stages of Level 6 now had the potential to break through to Level 7.

However, points were hard to come by. After he broke through to the Saint Realm, his idle cultivation at that level required even more points. Every single point of progress cost 1,000 points, and that was not to mention that cultivation at the Saint Realm required not only increasing his Battle Qi but also deepening his comprehension of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth.

Over these past three years, the points he earned daily hadn't changed much, as only the original residents of the territory provided growth. As for Spark City, those residents had not yet truly accepted Karl's rule and could not yet provide him with points.

For every bit of Battle Qi progress, idle cultivation cost 1,000 points. On average, Karl only gained one point of Battle Qi progress every four days.

It wasn't that Karl didn't want to cultivate on his own, but his own aptitude was poor. If not for his Golden Finger, it would have been a struggle just to maintain his current level without regressing.

Achieving the Saint Realm brought a transformation to both body and soul, which was the key to the longevity of the Saint Realm. Yet, this transformation was merely enough to satisfy the requirements of Saint Realm cultivation.

With a poor foundation, even after the transformation, the improvements he could achieve were quite limited.

This resulted in Karl only being able to improve his Battle Qi and his comprehension of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth by one point every ten days on average.

And this was only because Karl saved as many points as possible, as the territory itself required points to ensure favorable weather and prevent natural disasters.

Otherwise, a simple Cold Snap could cause the residents to catch a cold. While a cold was nothing in this magical world, it still required a Priest to cure.

And Priests were only found in small numbers in the capital of the kingdom. As for the towns and villages, those arrogant Priests were not doctors who traveled to save the world.

Karl had suffered from this before, and the consequence was that many residents died of colds while he was trying to summon a Priest. It was because of this loss that Karl clearly understood that in the eyes of some, the status of a commoner was not even as high as the pets they kept.

But to Karl, the residents were very important. The existence of the Security Team was primarily to protect the residents; placing the Security Team next to the Central Plaza was meant to provide the widest possible coverage for the entire town.

Looking at his son before him, Karl Talos pondered, his fingers rubbing against his teacup. He checked the points in the Mall and finally made a decision.

His son had been in power for over a hundred years, and he knew that the boy valued power to some extent. But he was his son after all. It was impossible before, but now that there was an opportunity, Karl wanted to give him a hand.

Thinking of this, Karl spoke slowly: "Since Spark City has been established, the members of the Security Team should be arranged to move there as soon as possible. The residents of the town should also be relocated there as much as possible. Prioritize everything; food, clothing, housing, and transportation must all be in place. Do not forget our original intention just because we have established a city-state."

Karl naturally had to admonish his son. Looking at his nearly depleted points, and considering the contributions of the current residents, he was earning over four hundred points a day.

"Four hundred points, three years."

Karl sighed inwardly. He had lived for over two hundred years, and his eldest son was already 240 years old. In his previous life, anyone of this age would be called an old monster, but even in this magical world, two hundred years was considered young in the eyes of those long-lived Saint Realm powerhouses.

But human hearts change. When his second son died of old age, he was so heartbroken that he couldn't recover for half a year. But as his third, fourth, and fifth sons, his eldest grandson, second grandson, and many third-generation relatives passed away one after another, no amount of grief could withstand such repeated experiences.

Human hearts are made of flesh. After living for a long time, in order to avoid such painful emotions as much as possible, those long-lived species would more or less choose the same path: indifference toward the development of their families.

As long as one does not get too attached, the death of descendants won't cause much pain. Even after hundreds or thousands of years, if the family bloodline were to be severed, as long as it wasn't destroyed by human hands, Karl feared that at that time, he would at most sigh that his bloodline had come to an end.

However, the son before him had been with him the longest, and after many years, their bond was deep enough. Now that he had the means, Karl naturally wouldn't let his only remaining child stop at Level 7 and eventually die of old age just because he wanted to cultivate for a few more years himself.

Under Karl's direction, the establishment of Spark City was quite modest, without any fanfare. Only a few Level 9 Warriors within the Anlan Kingdom cast a few glances in their direction.

After all, in their view, a peer of the same Level 9 strength was ultimately not someone who would hide away in a territory of towns and villages forever.

The establishment of Spark City could not affect the current situation of the Anlan Kingdom. Even those Level 9 powerhouses only sent envoys to offer congratulations. Even the Anlan Royal Family did the same, at most granting him the title of Marquis because Karl chose to build a city.

Another three years passed.

The prosperous and stable life in Spark City gradually caused ripples throughout the Anlan Kingdom.

Everyone wanted to live in a better place. Compared to the high taxes of their hometowns, the taxes in Spark City were terrifyingly low. As long as one put in the effort, they could eat their fill, dress warmly, and even have the confidence to get married and start a family.